Shooting Star
by Holly-Anne Rivers
Summary: How can one Person fall so Far? Can 4 years change a Person so much? How much Heartbreak can someone take before they shut down completely? Warnings inside. Shooting Star is dedicated to Miko Akako.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey people! Ok… I got this idea a really long time ago, but I just finally got around to writing the first chapter. I have a lot more chapters cooking in my head…**

**I can't promise how often I'll update… But I'll try very hard to get them posted as soon as possible. This story is my baby… I love it. But I'm a senior in a high school.**

**I may increase the rating. And as the story goes on, it won't allways be in this POV.**

**Warnings: I won't put chapter specific warnings… so here's some that I can think of right now: Emotional Distress, Addiction, Prostitution, Drugs, Violence (Maybe), just all around sadness.**

**Thanks to Miko Akako for being my Beta.**

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 1**

The old abandoned buildings sped past Dave as he drove through the dark streets in his sleek black sports car. He didn't know what compelled him get in the car and drive around the bad part of New York City, but here he was a few moments before midnight, driving around...Thinking.

As always, his thoughts soon strayed to familiar territory; Kurt. Somewhere in this big city was the boy that stole his heart. The one he'd loved since high school. The one he compared everyone he met with. The one who no one else could measure up to.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he barely noticed the people scattered around the sidewalk, partially hidden in shadows cast by the streetlamps. He always felt bad when he saw people here; dealers, prostitutes and junkies, for the most part. People with no place to go; nowhere to live.

Dave sighed and decided to head home. He slowly drove south towards Manhattan. He was still scanning the sidewalks, mostly lost in his own thoughts when he thought he saw a familiar figure facing away from him, standing in a loose circle with a few other people. All the girls wore tight, short skirts that showed a lot of leg, and tight tank tops despite the cold. There were only 2 boys, both wearing tight clothes and Dave had been around long enough to recognized hookers when he saw them.

The boy that caught his eye had shaggy, chestnut brown hair that seemed achingly familiar, even though it was longer than before. Something about the long, lean lines of the boy's body spoke of familiarity, even though there were more angles now that the last of his baby fat had been stripped away by time. He looked closer, slowing his car down, and recognized something in the way the brown-hair boy moved, hands gesturing, that seemed more fluid than the rest of the group. Dave was struck by an overwhelming desire to see the boy's face. It was impossible, but he just needed to be sure.

Dave pulled over and slowly got out of the car, keeping one eye on the group. One of the girls looked him up and down and smiled alluringly, but he had eyes only for one. Cautiously, he walked up to the group and said, "Kurt? Is that you?" each of the people turned around and eyed Dave.

Dave felt like he'd been hit so hard the breath flew out of him. The boy standing in front of him was undeniably Kurt, but a Kurt who had been aged a thousand years. His cheeks were hollow, and his skin was slightly yellowed. The smile on his lips looked plastic, and didn't reach his eyes. Through the skin-tight clothes Dave could count every bone in Kurt's body. And yet, he was still the most beautiful person Dave had ever seen. His blue-green eyes took Dave's breath away when they locked on to his brown ones.

After a second the boy with chestnut brown hair said, "Well, if it isn't the Bear Cub, all grown up!"

Kurt reached up and brushed a stray piece of hair from his eyes. Dave felt Kurt's glance on him and shifting uncomfortably. The rest of the group had lost interest the second it became clear Dave was only interested in talking to Kurt and had resumed whatever conversation, closing up and excluding Kurt and Dave.

Dave stared at Kurt for a few more seconds. He had been searching for so long, but he never expected to find Kurt _here. _In his imagination, he would be walking along Broadway and Kurt's name would be in lights on one of the theatres. Dave would buy a ticket to the show and watch the boy he'd loved from afar, never daring to get closer. "What are you doing here?"

Kurt walked a few feet away from the group, not quite out of earshot, but far enough that anyone would have to be listening to hear their conversation. Kurt turned to him with a smile and says, "I'm working." Dave frowned; Kurt couldn't possibly be working the streets, and yet there was no other explanation for him to be dressed like that, with that group of people. "What are _you_ doing out here so late?" Kurt asked, smiling up at Dave with wide eyes. If Dave didn't know any better, he'd say Kurt was _flirting_.

"I was just driving around and I saw you. How have you been doing?" Dave asked, pushing his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket.

Kurt's smile seemed to freeze and harden for a second, before he said, "I've been good." His eyes flickered to Dave's car parked a short distance away, then back to Dave. Kurt looked Dave up and down, slowly with a smile on his face. Dave felt himself flush and he was glad of the shadows to hide the reddening of his face. He felt inadequate under Kurt's gaze. It was like he was back in high school. "It looks like you've been doing really great…"

Dave smiled and nodded. He was suddenly struck with an overwhelming desire to protect Kurt; take him away from here, as if it was only proximity to this place that had turned Kurt into this gaunt stranger. He gestured to his car. "Come on Kurt… It's late and cold."

Kurt smiled and placed a hand on his hip, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you a cop?" he asked.

Dave just stared at Kurt for a moment before shaking his head.

Kurt's smile widened, still forced, and he asked, "Do you have money?"

Dave didn't know what to say. Any doubt in his mind of what Kurt did for a living disappeared with Kurt's questions. Kurt Hummel was a prostitute.

"Yes… I have money." Dave said with a frown. He would have lied, said anything, to get Kurt to go with him.

Kurt's head tilted forward and he smiled and slowly walked over to Dave's car, casting a coy smile over his shoulder as he opened the passenger side door.

He slipped inside the car and waited for Dave to follow him. Dave hesitated, looking between Kurt and the group of hookers. He sighed, happy that Kurt wasn't out in the cold anymore and safe with him and not with someone who would hurt him.

The thought of Kurt as a prostitute made Dave sick to his stomach. He couldn't bear the idea of other men _touching _Kurt with their dirty hands, using him and then casting him away when they got what they wanted. He was struck by an overwhelming desire to keep those men away from Kurt before realizing he had no right – Kurt wasn't his.

Dave walked to his car. With one last look to the group, no longer paying any attention to him, he got into the car.

Kurt flashed that plastic smile as Dave closed the door. Only one thought entered Dave's mind as he stared at Kurt: How could one person fall so far?

**Chapter 1. Please Review. Thanks :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**So sorry it took so long… It's been a rough couple of months… and I started a book that's my new Love Child… It's my baby that steals all of my time. Look for it in stores after I finish with it ;) but I'll try to update more often…**

**Tons of people to thank! It makes me so happy to thank all these people! Thanks to: Miko Akako for being the best beta ever :) odie488, ForsakenKalika, KikiJanita, AGleekMueller, Asia Desire, RoseRedMisery, jester2vri, mommyLbabyH, xechada la pirate, and umbrella0326 for Alerting/Author-Alerting/Favoriting/Author-Favoriting/Revewing! (From now on, it'll be known as A/A-A/F/F-F/R, just to make it easy on myself)**

**And don't worry umbrella0326. If it were easy, where would the fun be?**

**P.S. Sorry if I messed up any of your names... it's hard to read my hand writing sometimes...**

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 2**

Kurt shifted in the seat and looked out the window, it seemed like his mind was millions of miles away.

Dave stared at Kurt for a few more seconds without turning on the car. Suddenly Kurt turned to him, "We can't do it here, you know." Kurt snapped, suddenly irritated. "You'll scare away the others' business."

Dave stared at Kurt in shock for a moment… he shook his head and started the car. Kurt sits silently in the passenger's seat with his head tilted to look out the window. Dave pulled away from the curb and kept glancing over at Kurt. The other man didn't move from his rigid position, just staring out the window looking completely lost in thought as they drove south towards Dave's apartment in Manhattan. The streetlights cast deep shadows onto Kurt's cheeks and Dave couldn't believe Kurt had changed so much. All through high school there was something behind Kurt's eyes- almost like a fire… An inner strength that made Dave envious and uncomfortable all at once even when it wasn't directed at him. There was almost nothing left of that light in Kurt's eyes now, just a harshness born from necessity of being faced with cruel reality.

Dave parked the car in front of his apartment and turned off the car. They got out of the car and Kurt followed Dave up the stairs, waiting quietly as Dave opened the door. Dave watched Kurt as he walked into the apartment and looked around. For the second time that night, Dave felt inadequate as Kurt studied his apartment. "Nice place," Kurt said quietly, still looking around. He looked at Dave for a moment and said, "Got a bathroom?"

Dave nodded and pointed Kurt to the bathroom. He watched as Kurt quickly walked away, he sighed and went over to the kitchen as he waited for Kurt. He opened the fridge door and looked inside… not really seeing its contents but just looking for something to distract himself or maybe something he could offer Kurt when he came out. He couldn't believe how thin Kurt was. Not a healthy thin, but a more bones than skin kind of thin.

Dave heard the bathroom door open and close. He stood up and turned around, opening his mouth to say something but words escaped him as he saw Kurt. His body was covered in a _tight_ black shirt and pants that left nothing to the imagination. Dave had a hard time controlling his reaction to seeing Kurt dressed like _that_ so close. God, it had been his fantasy for so long. But not like this…

Kurt smiled, and slowly started to walk over to Dave. When Kurt was in the kitchen he moved _really_ close to Dave and gently put a hand on his chest. Dave felt his heart stutter at the contact and took a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself. Kurt leaned up on his tip-toes and his lips hovered over Dave's.

Dave couldn't move. He stood frozen in shock until he felt Kurt close those centimeters between their lips. The kiss lasted mere seconds before Dave forced himself to gather the shreds of his self control and push Kurt away. He stared at Dave with wide, almost angry eyes… the question 'what are you doing?' was written all over his face.

Dave looked down at the floor and blushed, "I think you should get some sleep, Kurt…" he pointed down the hall towards the bedrooms. He didn't need 2 bedrooms, but the place was cheap since the coach owned the building and gave him a low rate… now he was thankful he had a spare room for Kurt to sleep in. Even if he didn't, he would have slept on the couch… Hell, he would have slept on the floor to keep Kurt from going back out on the streets.

Kurt just stared at Dave for a second, clearly confused. "But I thought _this_," he waved a hand over his body, causing Dave to lose focus for a moment, following Kurt's hand with his eyes, "Was why you brought me here." Kurt placed one hand on his hip and stared at Dave in a very familiar way.

Dave looked at the floor, shakes his head, trying to regain his focus. He looks back up at Kurt's beautiful eyes. "No, Kurt…" _I want to say yes… but not like this._ "I wanted you to have a warm place to sleep." He knew it was the wrong thing to say even as he said it. The change in Kurt was dizzying. One second he was coy and seductive and the next he was fuming, eyes narrowed and jaw set.

"I don't take handouts." Kurt turned toward the door, walking away with quick dignity. Dave stood in the kitchen, completely stunned. Kurt suddenly stopped and turned around. "I don't need or want your help, Karofsky!"

Kurt turned back around and stormed away, but Dave managed to get his legs to move and followed just as quickly. Dave gently but firmly grabbed Kurt's elbow and said, "Kurt, Don't…" Kurt stopped trying to pull away at the tone of Dave's voice, "Please… Please don't go back out there."

Kurt stayed very still for a moment, then pulled his elbow out of Dave's grasp and turned to face him. His eyes searched Dave's face for any hint of deception. Kurt sighed and said, "Fine. It's your money." He sounded angry and hesitant but slowly walked back in the apartment.

Kurt said nothing as Dave shoed him to his guest room. Kurt sat down on the very edge of the bed as Dave stood in the doorway. "Goodnight Kurt."

Kurt stared at the floor as Dave slowly walked out of the room. "Goodnight David," Kurt said, so quietly Dave barely heard him as he walked away.

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><p>The next afternoon, Dave was sitting on the couch watching the news and trying his hardest not to simply stare at the closed guest room door. When he heard the door open and shut quickly, his head snapped up and he saw Kurt rushing out of the hallway. He was muttering under his breath and striding towards the door.<p>

After a moment of shock, Dave stood up and started to follow Kurt, "Kurt, wait. What's wrong?"

The smaller boy didn't stop, he said quietly, "I'm gonna be late for work…" He raised his voice, now almost a yell. "Why did you let me sleep?"

Dave was taken aback by Kurt's tone, but he said lamely, "You looked tired." Kurt scoffed and continued to walk quickly to the door.

Once they reached the door Kurt reached into his back pocket and froze. He started to look around on the floor, desperately searching for something. This confused Dave… but he just shook his head and said, "Where do you work?"

Kurt seemed too distracted searching for whatever he lost, but he quickly glanced up at Dave then back around the floor. He said, "um… Pulse. I dance." He moved past Dave back into his apartment, looking around the floor.

Finally Dave asked, "What are you looking for?"

Kurt spun around quickly and said, "I think I dropped my stash…" and went back to his searching.

Dave stood frozen in front of the door. He suspected, between the mood swings and weight loss, but to hear it right from the boy's mouth…It was heartbreakingly sad. Slowly, he followed Kurt back into the apartment.

Kurt was searching around the kitchen area. "I _know_ I had it when I walked in the door…" he said to himself. He got into the living room area, and dropped to his knees. He stooped low to look under the couch. "Where the hell is it?" Kurt said, an edge of panic tinting his voice.

Dave slowly walked in behind Kurt, trying not to get distracted by the sight of Kurt on his hands and knees. He cleared his throat and said, "Why don't you forget that stuff? It's not good for you, Kurt…"

Kurt slowly got up and turned to Dave with an angry glint in his eyes. "How about_ I_ decide what's good for me." He said and quickly moved to the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

"Kurt, please-" Dave started.

Kurt interrupted him. "Save it. I'm not going to listen. Drugs are bad for me. Yadda yadda yadda. I've heard the speech before so just spare me."

Dave sighed and looked down at the floor. A rather small bag of white powder partially hidden under a small table. He looked up at Kurt and then back at the bag of powder. He quickly stooped down to pick up the bag.

The movement caused Kurt to look over and say, "What is it?" excitement replaced the anger in his eyes and Dave acted without thinking.

Dave hid the bag behind his back and pushed it into his back pocket. "oh… Nothing… just a wrapper."

Kurt narrowed his eyes and slowly, a smile crawled across his face. "Well, that's a shame." He said in a sultry tone, slowly waking over to Dave. All rational thought left Dave's mind the closer Kurt got. "Looks like I won't be able to leave then…" He was right in front of Dave now, gently touching his chest. "I wonder what _else_…" the hand on David's chest trailed across his shoulders as Kurt slowly started circling Dave "we could do…" Kurt whispered into Dave's ear. He shivered at the warm breath on his neck and didn't notice when Kurt quickly pulled the bag out of Dave's back pocket.

Suddenly Kurt laughed and spun around Dave so he was in front of him. He held the bag up in front of Dave's face. Before Dave could comprehend what just happened, Kurt slipped the baggie into his jacket pocket and walked out the door. Dave watched him go, trying not to feel like he'd just lost Kurt when the other boy had never been his to start with.

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><p><strong>K… sorry it took so long… but I have Chapter 3 all typed up, but I won't put it up for a while. So… yeah.<strong>

**REVIEW! Please and Thank you.**


	3. Chapter 3

**4/19/12**

**That one little word in italics is Dave's thought.**

**Thanks to: hpgleek713, Sbec741, mugglerock, Kurtofsky-4EVER, Lost white, Penneay, and Silije24 for A/A-A/F/A-F/R :) and to Miko Akako for giving me Kurt's stripper name and being the best Beta ever XD**

**Hpgleek713: A not-so in my own words part here… but I'm going to use my own things and words for the next couple chapters. Promise.**

**Now: all readers. I'm almost certain I'm going to get some flak for having Kurt sing Out Tonight. But please hear me out, I like the song, and I didn't think he could sing Pink Houses in season one. And he wasn't half bad when he sang that song. So just go with it. Thanks :)**

**New Warnings at the bottom.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 3**

Dave didn't know why he looked up the club Kurt worked at, but he did and now he was sitting in a small table by the door in the darkened bar, looking around while he waited for a waiter to bring him a drink.

Lots of men sat in small tables like his, laughing and drinking. They were all facing the pitch black stage at the front of the bar. From what Dave could see of the stage, there were 3 shiny gold poles that stretched from floor to ceiling. One on either side on raised platforms that had stairs leading to a lower section of stage that jutted out into the mass of tables that were almost perfectly level with the height of the stage.

Dave didn't know much (or anything) about stripper stages… but this had to be a great one.

The waiter, Bobby, came back with his drink just as Dave stood up. "Where are you going?" the boy asked, sitting his drink on the table.

"I think I'm going home…" Dave said, completely uncomfortable staying in this place.

Bobby frowned, "You can't leave yet!" Dave frowned. "You'll miss Fancy's performance!" _Fancy?_ "It's really unforgettable." Just as the words were out of Bobby's mouth, the whole bar went pitch black and erupted into loud cheers and hollers. Dave, startled, sat back down in his chair.

The sound of drums filled the air and a voice in a microphone said, "Welcome one and all! Please welcome Fancy to the stage!"

If someone was standing outside the bar they would have thought a bomb went off (it was doubtful that anyone would walk outside this place… this was not a good neighborhood… and if someone was standing outside, they'd be used to sudden loud noises) … the sounds of the patrons almost drowned out the loud rock music blaring through the speakers.

A bright spotlight shown to the right half of the stage, where Kurt was holding the gleaming pole in front of him with one of his feet propped up on the middle rung of the railing and a sultry smile on his lips… Right when the lights turned on, Kurt started to move to the music… in a way that must be Illegal in most states… Dave stared at the beautiful boy dancing around for a room full of men… he looked amazing… the spotlight (or maybe the makeup) took the hollowed look out of his cheeks and made him look like a flicker of who he used to be. The lights brought out the blue in Kurt's eyes and made the glitter on his slightly looser outfit shine like a star…

But no matter what he wore, he didn't look like the same person Dave fell for.

What's the time?

Well it's gotta be close to midnight

My body's talking to me

It says, "Time for danger"

Kurt never once let that sexy smile fall off his face as he sang and danced from his original position to the stairs where he leaned against one of the banisters and did a high kick that made the men in the crowd go wild and throw what looked like money on the stage.

It says "I wanna commit a crime

Wanna be the cause of a fight

I wanna put on a tight skirt

And flirt with a stranger"

Dave had no idea that Kurt could sing a song like this… it didn't sound like a song from a Broadway show, that's what Dave remembered him singing a lot… but this was so different from anything Kurt would have done before. He used to be so innocent, and the dance moves he did were far from innocent.

I've had a knack from way back

At breaking the rules once I learned the games

Get up! Life's too quick, I know someplace sick

Where this chick'll dance in the flames.

Kurt danced to the center of the stage and swayed his hips back and forth to the beat. More money fluttered to the stage at Kurt's feet and he bent at the waist to pick up some of it. He smiled at one of the men in the front row and continued to sing.

We don't need any money

I always get in for free

You can get in too

If you get in with me

Let's go out tonight

I have to go out tonight

You wanna play? Let's run away

We won't be back before it's New Year's Day

Take me out tonight, Meow

Kurt was on his hands and knees, reaching forward to take the shot out of some guy's hand. He smiled and drank the whole thing in one gulp. He gently placed the small glass on the edge of the stage and stood up. He winked at the guy he took the drink from and turned around, swaying his hips with the music in a very _distracting_ way.

When I get a wink from the doorman

Do you know how lucky you'll be?

That you're on the line with the feline

Of Avenue B

Dave tried to ignore the sick feeling he got in his stomach at the thought of all these men ogling Kurt this way… it made him mad and sick and so _very_ sad. He fell in love with Kurt all those years ago… he was a different person now.

Let's go out tonight

I have to go out tonight

You wanna prowl, be my night owl?

Well take my hand we're gonna howl

Out tonight

Kurt's eyes locked with Dave's and he froze for a millisecond, before he smiled like a Cheshire Cat. He jumped off the stage and moved through the crowd, ignoring all the other men in the room and making his way back to Dave's table with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

In the evening I've got to roam

Can't sleep in the city of neon and chrome.

Feels too damn much like home

When the Spanish babies cry

So let's find a bar

So dark we forget who we are

Where all the scars

From the nevers and maybes die

Kurt was almost to Dave's table and Dave could see tightness around his eyes… but he almost looked like the old him. Dave tried to be unnoticeable in his chair as Kurt got closer - he wasn't used to being looked at by a lot of people without his football stuff on, especially when they were all men at a strip club.

Let's go out tonight

I have to go out tonight

You're sweet, wanna hit the street?

Wanna wail at the moon like a cat in heat?

Just take me out tonight.

Kurt slowly walked around the table behind Dave and gently wrapped his arms around his neck from behind and softly sung in his ear:

Please take me

Dave couldn't help the shiver that ran through his body at the feel of warm breath on his neck. Kurt quickly let go of Dave and turned to face him. The spotlight was still on Kurt and it hurt Dave's eyes but he continued to stare up at Kurt as he turned and quickly made his way back to the stage. The other men in the club all looked at Dave jealously for about half a second before they turned their attention back to Kurt's dancing.

Out tonight

Don't forsake me, out tonight

I'll let you make me out tonight

Tonight, tonight, tonight

Then it was over. Kurt struck a pose as the bar was plunged into darkness again. The men in the club cheered and were most likely giving Kurt a standing ovation, but Dave couldn't move. He was rooted in place by he thought that everything about Kurt has changed… he didn't know who he was anymore, but he was still in love with him.

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><p><strong>I think I'm going to shoot for once a week updates, maybe more... it all depends on what I feel like... I already have chapter 4 betaed and ready once that 7 day mark passes. I'll work on chapter 5 and hopefully be way ahead of all of you when I post chapter 4 :)<strong>

**don't worry, I'll try to make sure to not pass the 7 day mark.  
><strong>

**The song is Out Tonight from Rent**

**Also: I thought of a bunch more stuff for this story, thus I need to add some warnings. Here's the previous: Emotional Distress, Addiction, Prostitution, Drugs, Violence (Maybe), just all around sadness**

**Here it is now: Emotional Distress, Addiction, Prostitution, Drugs, Violence (Definitely), just all around sadness, Character death (Not Kurt or Dave), detailed descriptions of a dying person, a felony (But you can guess which one), and MAYBE smut. Possibly more to come.**

**So please review because they make my heart glad :)**

**P.S. Tell me what you think about the possible smut in your reviews :)**

**Dear readers, I am mourning the loss of my rabbit, who I just found dead about 1 hour before I posted this... Baby was my dear friend and I'm no longer going to promise once a week... it all depends on how I mourn this time... When It was the boys or my dog, I didn't write for weeks, but i think this time is different and I'm going to throw myself in my writings. We'll see how it goes. I apologize, and will try to update.  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**4/24/12**

**This is the chapter where I actually knew more about Drugs then Miko Akako. I'm unsure if I should say "ha-ha" or be unnerved by this… I'm gonna go with both.**

**Thanks to: truemaxadlerfan, silije24, eclecticgirl, and Kurtofsky-4EVER for A/AA/F/AF/R and to Miko Akako for being the Bestest Beta ever for almost a year (She agreed to be my Beta on 5/31/11)!**

**So the people who reviewed told me to write in some smut. I already have an idea of what I can do with this. It's gonna be cool! No flames please.**

**P.S. Thank you to silije24 and Kurtofsky-4EVER for helping with mourning Baby. You're awesome. As a reward to the both of you, I'm posting this chapter 2 days early. :)**

**But then I'm back to updating on Thursday. I'm not sure if I'll update again this Thursday… if I finish typing chapter 6, then maybe. MAYBE.**

**Enjoy chapter 4:**

**WAIT! I've been meaning to mention that the Kurtofsky storylines in episodes 3-13 Heart and 3-14 On My Way didn't happen… I was totally crying in 3-14… **

**Ok. NOW Enjoy Chapter 4:**

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 4**

It took several minutes for the men in club to calm down, and Dave sat silently through all of the cheering. He couldn't understand what happened. Kurt, or the Kurt he knew in high school, would never have done the things he did on stage.

The lights shining on the stage lit up again, illuminating an empty stage. Kurt and the other dancers must have left the stage while it was still dark. Dave sat back in his chair, hoping to see Kurt again while dreading it at the same time.

After a few moments, a door near the stage opened, and Kurt came strutting out in his stage outfit. He smiled as the men around him freaked out, getting up to talk to him. Well, _talk_ wouldn't be the right word, more like flirt with while simultaneously trying to feel him up.

Dave watched as some random guy pulled Kurt closer to whisper in his ear. Kurt laughed and grabbed the strangers hand, smiling as he led him across the room and into a shadowy corner where there was a door painted black to blend into the shadows. Bright red words stood out in the dark – 'Work Rooms' - Dave wondered what the 'Work Rooms' were for as Kurt disappeared into it with the stranger. Dave turned back to the guy's group of friends laughing and high fiving, clearly drunk.

Another performer had started to dance, but Dave ignored him… he started to feel sick as he thought about what they could be doing. After about 10 minutes, Kurt walked out of the 'Work Rooms' with slightly rustled hair. Dave watched as the boy he loved walked quickly through the crowd, smiling and waving off the people who tried to talk to him, signifying that he'd be back in a minute.

He walked up to the bar and walked to the register, ignoring the almost sad look the bartender was giving him. He quickly pressed a few buttons and placed some cash into the machine. He bumped his hip against the cash door, and walked back into the sea of sharks that waited for him.

*****About an hour later*****

Dave still didn't understand why he stayed there, watching as Kurt took man after man into the 'Work Rooms' and put more and more money into the cash register. Kurt never looked over at Dave again since he sang to him. In fact, it seemed like he was going out of his way to ignore Dave.

Kurt walked around the bar a few times as he waited, occasionally taking someone back to the Rooms, then continuing on his walk.

He stopped to lean over a chair and talk to some people sitting around a table not far from where Dave sat, watching him. Kurt smiled and laughed at whatever the guy said, flirting all the while with casual touches and a suggestive tilt to his head. Dave watched as a tall skinny guy came up behind Kurt. He slipped his hand on one of Kurt's hips and pressed his lips to his ear, whispering something that made Kurt's whole face light up and smile over at the tall guy. He said goodbye to the people at the table and walk away after the stranger, leaving the men at the table completely confused.

The man waited for Kurt in the back, farthest away from the stage, under cover of shadows, barely discernible to him. Dave watched as the man pushed Kurt into the corner so his back hit the wall and the man stepped even closer to Kurt. He pulled something out of his that looked like eye drops.

Kurt was squirming against the wall, anxious about whatever was in the vial. The tall man said something; Kurt frowned and replied to him, clearly a little desperate. The tall man said something else; his stance holding Kurt to the wall was very calm. Kurt scrambled to reach into a pocket Dave didn't know was there and pulled out some crumpled bills, Kurt smoothed them out and counted them and pushed them at the man with shaking hands.

The man re-counted the money and slipped it into his jacket pocket. He looked at Kurt, who was smiling and trying to pull the guy closer to him, all the while keeping his eyes on the bottle. The man held the bottle up; Kurt followed it with his mouth, like a baby bird reaching for food, bouncing slightly in anticipation.

The guy, who Dave guessed was a drug dealer, held the bottle to Kurt's lips, starting to drip whatever liquid into the boy's mouth.

Before Dave knew what he was doing, he was up out of his seat and slamming into the man who could only be a drug dealer, pushing him off Kurt and sending him sprawling on the floor. Kurt stared at him, looking completely taken by surprise. Dave didn't know what he expected to happen after he hit the drug dealer, but it never crossed his mind to assume Kurt would react the way he did.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" Kurt yelled. The music chose that moment to lull, so the club was quiet, only the quiet hush of all the people getting tired. Another song started, but the DJ quickly cut it off. The men in the club turned to the watch the squabble in the back. Kurt dropped to his knees at the drug dealer's side. He said something too quiet for Dave to hear.

The drug dealer nodded and looked up at Dave with hate in his eyes. Dave stood frozen, completely unsure of what was going on… Kurt turns to Dave, anger causing his eyes to turn darker in color. "Why ar-"

"Kurt!" a woman yelled as the music started up again. The woman stormed over to them, she was short, blond, and dressed conservatively, her body was too covered to work here. She was clearly Kurt's boss. Dave wondered if she knew what they did in the "Work Rooms." "Is there a problem here?" she said, placing a hand on one of her skinny hips.

Dave shook his head no, the woman interrupted Kurt as he was about to speak. "Take it outside, Kurt. Now!" Kurt looked like he was about to argue, but the woman looked ready to kill. So, without looking back, Kurt stormed out of the club. The woman looked at Dave, and he followed Kurt outside.

Kurt was facing away from Dave as he walked out of the door. Dave took a breath to say something, Kurt turned around and said, "Why are you even here?" he asked angrily, nearly yelling.

Dave flinched at his tone and said, "I wanted to help you…"

"I might get fired!" Kurt said, crossing his arms across his chest, staring back at the club, his face tinted pick in the neon lights of _Pulse's_ sign.

"Good!" Dave snapped, his temper was threatening to take hold. Kurt opened his mouth to speak but Dave cut him off: "I hate that you work here!" he said, waving his hand in the direction as he spoke. "I hate that you wear those clothes," he waved his hand at Kurt's body, causing Kurt to look at the clothes; He kept his head down as Dave continued to speak, "I hate that you take drugs." His voice dropped to almost a whisper as he said, "I hate what you've become…"

Kurt didn't say anything right away. His head still hung low, looking down at his clothes. He pursed his lips and snapped his head up to glare at Dave. It almost looked like tears glittered in his eyes, "Stay out of my life!" Kurt yelled, storming past Dave.

"Kurt, please, I want to help you!" Dave said, trying to grab his elbow, but Kurt flinched away before Dave got anywhere close to him.

"Leave me alone!" he said, slamming the club door after him and Dave was left standing in the ally with the muted sound of the music and the knowledge that he may have just screwed up his one chance at reconnecting with the only boy he'd ever loved.

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><p><strong>Speaking of Miko Akako. She first reviewed on my story Please Don't Break my Heart on May 29 2011! It's hard to believe it's almost been a whole year! Everybody thank her for her help in my Glee stories. Thank her by going to her profile, Miko Akako and read and review her stories! They're awesome :)<strong>

**Please review! Tell me what you think. It makes my heart glad to see the [Review Alert] in my inbox! Please make my heart glad.**


	5. Chapter 5

**5/20/12**

**So, Sorry for the long wait, but there were technical difficulties that made updating sooner impossible. Hopefully that won't happen again.  
><strong>

**Thanks to: Miko Akako for being the best beta ever :) Samantha Everette, Britt Fabulous, tsukinotora, hplover2011, silje24, rockwriter13 for F/AF/A/AA/R :)**

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 5**

For the next few days, Dave tried to forget about Kurt and what he'd become. After all, it had been years, and Kurt obviously didn't want any help from him. Instead, he tried to focus on his football practices, the news; anything to distract him from letting his thoughts wander in the direction they wanted; that of a shell of a man who used to be the most beautiful boy in the world.

No matter how hard he tried to focus on what he should be doing, he always thought about Kurt. Kurt standing out on the streets. Kurt shivering and waiting for some pervert to drive by. Kurt getting in the car with someone who was only going to use and discard him. Kurt begging on his knees for drugs that would only kill him from the inside out. Kurt looking at Dave with absolute hate in his eyes.

He just couldn't stop thinking about Kurt. Eventually it became clear that he would be able to do nothing productive with the specter looming over him. He had to find some way to help Kurt, even if it made Kurt hate him forever.

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><p><strong>***3 Days later***<strong>

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><p>Dave couldn't take a single minute of the torture any more. So there he was, driving back to the bad part of town where he first found Kurt, with a plan ready to set into motion.<p>

It didn't take nearly as long as Dave thought it would to find Kurt. He was standing in almost the exact same spot as before, facing away from the street talking to a few other prostitutes. Dave took a deep breath and drove up to the side of the road in front of the group.

They all stopped talking to each other and turned to his car. He rolled down the window and Kurt immediately turned around and started to walk away. Dave quickly stepped on the gas to follow after him, looking between the street and the boy he loves. "Kurt, wait! I need to talk to you."

Kurt turned around and glared at Dave and said, "I thought I made it perfectly clear I want you to leave me alone!" before he stormed off, sticking to the sidewalks and not ducking into any of the alleyways.

Dave followed after him. "Kurt… please look at me." He drove up beside the boy. Kurt sighed angrily and turned around, freezing in place when he saw what Dave was holding out to him. Dave hated that he had to bribe Kurt into the car with money but it was the only way. He had to get Kurt to listen to him. Besides, money was something he had in spades. His salary was more than big enough to support his meager lifestyle and he'd put his math skills to good use by setting up a savings plan.

Kurt clenched his jaw and said, "Fine." He opened the door angrily and grabbed the money out of Dave's hand roughly. He slammed the car door shut and slouched low in his seat, staring out the window and pretending Dave wasn't there.

Dave rolled up the window against the cold air and said, "Kurt, please look at me." Nothing. "Kurt?" Silence. Dave sighed and pulled away from the curb, and began to head south to Manhattan again.

Dave continued trying to engage Kurt in conversation as they drove but the boy was being very stubborn. That was, he was silent until Dave drove past his apartment and Kurt moved for the first time since getting in the car. He turned his head and watched the apartment go by and then turned to Dave, "Where are you taking me?" He asked quietly, leaning far away from Dave.

Dave smiled, relieved Kurt was talking to him. He said, "You'll see." Kurt pursed his lips, tensed and moved as far away as he possibly could from Dave, almost like he was afraid. Dave watched Kurt out of the corner of his eye while he drove, but he didn't move from his tense stance at the edge of his seat.

The drive to Broadway was completely silent as Dave maneuvered through dense New York City traffic and pulled into an alley besides a building that looked familiar to Kurt. Dave drove too fast for Kurt to get a good look, but he felt like he'd been there before. Which was strange because since he gotten to New York, he'd avoided Broadway at all costs. In fact, he tried to never set foot in Manhattan.

Dave pulled the car to a stop next to some large doors and parked the car. He turned to Kurt and said, "Kurt?" Kurt turned his head slightly, so he continued, "will you please follow me?" Kurt didn't say a word but got out of the car, wrapping his arms around himself in the cold air and waited for Dave to get out of the car.

Dave got out of the car and walked to the large door and held it open for Kurt.

Kurt hesitated before quickly walking through the door. He stopped just inside the door to let David lead him where they were going. He could hear what sounded like a construction site and a lot of people talking.

Dave quickly walked through the large backstage and around the backdrop curtain. Kurt followed him at a slower pace, he was looking around at all the people working on huge, brightly colored set pieces and laughing as they socialized. Nobody looked up as the men walked to the front of the stage.

Kurt was just about to ask Dave what they were doing here when he stopped dead in his tracks. He sucked in a breath that sounded more like a hiss as he looked around the very same Broadway stage that he and Rachel had snuck into junior year.

Dave watched as Kurt slowly walked around the few techies that had their set pieces on the stage to center stage. He looked out at the sea of empty seats and started to pick at the skin around his thumbnail.

"Kurt…" Dave said quietly, glad that the techies had agreed to basically ignore them. Kurt tilted his head towards Dave but didn't take his eyes off the seats. "Remember back in high school you were going to go to Broadway?" Dave asked, slowly approaching Kurt. Kurt looked down at the ground and continued to listen as Dave spoke. "You were going places…" Kurt starts to tremble. Dave stood right beside Kurt, speaking softly. "This is where you belong." Dave gestured to the seats. "Not out there… let me help y-"

Kurt suddenly spun around and faced Dave, putting distance between them, "Why are you doing this?" He yelled, causing complete silence to fall among the techies, they all looked up from their projects and stared at the pair on stage. Kurt threw his hand in the direction of the house and tears fall down his hollow cheeks. "Why bring up the past? Do you want to see me suffer?"

Kurt stared at Dave with raw pain in his eyes as he spoke, completely oblivious to the audience that had gathered in the wings. Dave stood, shocked into silence as Kurt ran past him, pushing people out of his way with surprising strength as he ran backstage. Dave finally shook out of his stupor and quickly followed him, calling his name.

Dave heard the loud slam of the doors leading to the street. He ran outside, but Kurt was nowhere to be seen.

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><p><strong>So another Chapter where Kurt Ran off somewhere because of Dave. :)<strong>

**I haven't decided if I'm going to update on Thursday, only because my last day of school is Thursday. Then I have the Farewell Assembly on Friday, then graduation on Saturday, then several parties… Yay! My Graduation!**

**It's strange how fast 4 years goes by… mind boggling. I'm going to be that person crying.**

**So, as a graduation present for me, please review. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**5/30/12  
><strong>

**Sorry for the slight delay... more technical difficulties... sorry  
><strong>

**Thanks to: labrpj1, and usernamebingo for alerting. And to Miko Akako for being the bestest beta ever for an entire year, our Friendiversary was yesterday. XD**

**I'm a freshly graduated adult. And with a grade 12 education, I now feel comfortable representing my country and its views. Look out world. Here I come.**

**Now: Not nearly enough people reviewed (zero people to be exact) and that Upsets me. So since I just graduated, I want more reviews as my Present.**

**Here's Chapter 6 with a ****NEW CHARACTER!**

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 6**

Dave searched for Kurt after he ran out of the theater. He asked everyone he saw, but none of them remembered seeing anyone fitting Kurt's description. Finally, as his watch turned past midnight, Dave had to just trust that Kurt was able to get home by himself and give up. When Dave made it back to his home, he spent the rest of the night tossing and turning and trying not to think of Kurt.

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><p><strong>***The next night***<strong>

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><p>Dave had never been happier that Football practice was always during the day, so he could look for Kurt at night, even though he did feel a bit weird about basically trolling the streets every night looking for a prostitute. But it was for Kurt's own good. And if it killed him, Dave would save Kurt from this life. No matter what it took.<p>

He could only hope that Kurt would accept help soon. Coach was already riding Dave about showing up to practice exhausted so many times in a row.

But there he was, driving slowly past the group of prostitutes looking for Kurt. Again. He drove slowly, scanning the usual group but just like always he didn't see Kurt.

He pulled up next to the group and rolled down the window, planning on asking where Kurt was. A woman who looked about 16 in short shorts and a tank top covered with a thin jacket stood on the edge of the curb and leaned on Dave's passenger window before Dave could saw anything. She smiled and said, "Hey mister. Ya lonely?"

"Have you seen Kurt?" Dave asked, praying that this girl knew Kurt.

"Oh." The woman quickly stood up straight, almost like she was upset and said mostly to herself, "You go _that_ way." She ran a hand through her long dark hair and leaned back into the car, "Kurt left about a few hours ago… I haven't seen him since."

The girl narrowed her eyes and leaned further into the car, getting a better look at Dave. "Hey, Wait! You're Dave, aren't you?" she said, pointing at him.

Dave slowly nodded. She smiled and opened the car door. Dave didn't know what the girl wanted, but if she knew his name, she must know Kurt so he decided to let her stay.

She didn't buckle her seat belt, but she turns her body to lean against the door and look at Dave. "Kurt's been talking a lot lately," She stated, her face hidden in shadows, "About you," She looked around quickly. "Drive." She ordered.

Dave started the car and drove away from the group of prostitutes.

"I'm Nessie." She said, smiling. "It's not normal for us to have connections outside our group." She said quietly, "Or any connections really." Her smile faltered when she said that but after a second the smile was back in place. "Wanna tell me why you came looking for him again? I thought he said he wanted you to leave him alone." She said, sounding like she didn't believe Kurt really wanted to be left alone. She looked at Dave who continued to watch the road.

"I want to help him." Dave said, glancing at her.

Nessie smiled and said, "What did you do to him last night? He's been acting weird ever since." She crossed her arms and waited for Dave to answer her.

Dave sighed and said, "I wanted him to stop everything… so I took him to a stage on Broadway to help him remember what he was going to be." Dave was going to continue, but Nessie interrupted him.

"We all know what we were going to be!" Dave was shocked by the sudden anger in her voice, "Why the hell do you think we're here? For fun?" She sighed and said, "Believe me, no one I've ever met wants to be here."

"Then why are you?" Dave asked, completely confused.

Nessie smiled and said, "It's not as easy as you make it seem, sweetie." Suddenly she looked years older…

They're silent for a few moments until Dave asks, "Do you know where Kurt might be?"

Nessie scoffed and said, "Honey, he's been on the streets for almost 4 years… you ain't gonna find him till he wants to be found."

_4 years? _Dave thought. That means Kurt started all this less than year after he got to New York… what could have possibly happened in less than a year to make this happen?

"What are you going to do when you find him?" She asked quietly. "Get him into rehab? Clean him up? For what?" She smirked. "To live a life flippin' burgers and feeling like crap for not getting everything he's ever dreamed of?"

Dave looked over to Nessie for as long as he dared while he was still driving. She looked 10 years older as she spoke… lines appeared on her face and her voice sounding so tired. He sighed and said, "Better to feel sorry for yourself than live like this." Dave gestured out the window.

Nessie scoffed, almost like she was a little bit offended. "He'll hate you for it." She said, "He's surprisingly proud… he doesn't usually take any help from anybody." She sighed and looked at her hands folded in on her lap. "But Kurt's funny sometimes. He does unexpected things." She smiled as she spoke of her friend, losing herself in her thoughts.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" he asked her after a few moments, shaking her out of her reverie.

Nessie smiled and said, "Take me back to the corner please." She said quietly, staring out the window.

"Are you sure?" Dave asked. This was Kurt's friend after all; he didn't want her to go back out there either.

Nessie laughed and said, "I'm sure, Mr. Hero." She was silent until Dave pulled the car to the corner where he picked her up. She opened the door and stretched her legs as she stepped onto the curb.

She closed the door and turned back around to face the car. Dave rolled down the window and leaned inside the car again. "Like I said, Kurt's funny sometimes… maybe he'll come to forgive you."

She walked to her group and began talking with them, too quiet for Dave to hear. He rolled the window back up and decided to go back home. The entire time he drove, he couldn't get what the young prostitute had told him.

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><p><strong>This is one of my shorter chapters… I hope you like it. :)<strong>

**Ok… I heard From Miko that FF has started to delete M rated stories… I've also heard that it's because of "inappropriate summaries" so I hope my summaries are appropriate and none of my M-Rated stories get deleted. (If they do, I have them all backed up on my flash drive, I'll Re-Post them later)**

**Maybe reviews will help in their decision not to delete. So…**

**Please, please, please review! It'll be my present for my Friendiversary and graduation.**


	7. Chapter 7

**7/5/12**

***PLEASE SEE A/N AT THE BOTTOM FOR AN IMPORTANT UPDATE AS TO THE FUTURE OF THIS STORY***

**(BUT IT CAN WAIT TILL YOU READ THE CHAPTER.)**

**A/N:** Ok… Please forgive me. I've had a lot of technical difficulties that made uploading sooner quite impossible. I sincerely apologize and no longer promise that it won't happen again. It might, and I apologize for any future transgressions on upload speeds of once a week. I'll attempt to regain the normalcy of once a week, but it might not work out that way.

Now that the formal apology is out of the way: Thanks to Undaunted scholar, silje24, and Samantha Everette, and AnActressexual for A/A-A/F/A-F/R. And a huge thanks to Miko Akako for being the bestest beta ever and making this story what it is today.

Now: **ONWARD**!

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 7**

Dave searched for Kurt every night, but he wasn't with his normal group on the street, he wasn't at _Pulse_… Dave had searched for three days and hadn't found him anywhere. He was at his wit's end but he just couldn't give up.

Since he didn't have any practice the next day, Dave stayed out late, driving aimlessly up and down the street and feeling his heart jump every time he saw a lithe figure leaning against a street lamp or talking to a group of scantily dressed people. The sky was turning a soft pink color when Dave finally pulled his car into his spot outside the apartment building the next morning. He didn't even look up at the building as he got his apartment key out of his pocket.

He was about half way to the building's stairs when he finally looked up and saw Kurt leaning on the cold metal railing off to the side of the stairs leading to the door. Dave stared at Kurt for a moment as Kurt looked up at him. His eyes were rimmed with red, almost like he'd been crying as he sat in the cold.

Kurt sniffled a bit and pointed over his shoulder to the door, "I tried the buzzer…" and pulled his jacket a little further down, covering his hands against the cold. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his stomach. Dave had never seen the boy look so… broken.

Dave snapped out of his shock and rushed to sit beside Kurt on the cold stone steps. "Kurt?" Dave asked, trying to see his face. When Kurt didn't say anything, Dave asked, "Are you ok?" worried about him.

Kurt sniffled again and shook his head; "No." he said, his body shaking as he began to cry. "No, I'm not ok." Kurt twisted around and buried his face in Dave's warm jacket. Kurt tried to hold back the sobs that escaped his lips, but he couldn't as Dave slowly wrapped his strong arms around his slender shoulders, comforting him.

Dave held Kurt for a few minutes as the sky got lighter and lighter, now a pale blue. Kurt's sobs began to fade away as he tried to relax in Dave's arms. Kurt wiped his tears away with his sleeve and looked up at Dave. Once again, Dave began wondering why he wanted to help him so badly. Kurt was about to speak when Dave said, "Do you want to come inside, Kurt?"

Kurt nodded, and accepted the hand Dave offered to help him stand. Dave unlocked the door and held it open for Kurt. They walked in silence up to Dave's apartment and Kurt simply stood in the entryway of Dave's apartment and waited for him to speak.

Dave cleared his throat, "Make yourself at home…" he said, obviously uncomfortable.

Kurt smiled and turned away from Dave. Slowly, he shrugged off the warmer jacket that he wore when he wasn't standing on the street trying to get money off his shoulders and tried to hide as much of his arms as he could.

Kurt turned around, still staring at the floor and Dave tried to hold back his gasp of shock as he saw the bruises that covered Kurt's pale arms. It looked almost like hand prints traveling up his arms and disappearing into his tee-shirt. Kurt was trying to hide as much of them as he could with his jacket, but he couldn't cover that many.

Dave stepped towards him and pulled the jacket out of Kurt's grip. Kurt looked up at him with tears in his eyes and flinched away from Dave when he reached out to touch a bruise.

Kurt looked back at the floor and said, "Usually they're not so rough." He turned to walk deeper into the house and stood in the openness of the kitchen area.

Dave took a deep breath to control the disgust and anger at whoever would dare to hurt Kurt like that and followed Kurt into the kitchen. He started to speak, "Kurt-"

"Did you mean it?" Kurt interrupted, wrapping his arms around himself, never breaking eye contact with the floor.

Dave was confused for a moment. "Mean what?" He asked, wishing Kurt would look at him so he could get a read on what the smaller man was thinking.

Kurt took a deep, shuddering breath. He looked up at Dave with tears spilling over his cheeks and said, "Did you mean it when you said you want to help me?"

Dave nodded slowly, hope filling his heart.

Kurt looked back at the floor and wiped the tears running from his beautiful eyes. "I want your help… please." He whispered, his voice breaking on the last word. He looked up and gave Dave a look that broke his heart. "I don't wanna live like this anymore." He whispered so quietly Dave almost didn't hear him.

Kurt raised a hand to cover his mouth as he started to cry again. Dave walked up to him and gently led him to the couch. Kurt sat down and buried his face in his hands, sobbing.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the shorter chapter… but the next couple chapters are better.<strong>

**And the more I think of the stupid deleting that has been going on, effecting the stories I like, the more steamed up I get. So, as an act of Protest, I'll bump up the smutty goodness. **

**I had originally intended the smut you all wanted to be much further in the future of the story, but no. Now, it'll be within 15 chapters (maybe 10, it all depends on if I decide to split the long chapters into smaller chapters.) **

**I wish my act of protest could be sooner, but smut wouldn't make sense for the plan of the story, and I already had a ton of chapters typed, and I liked them the way they were and refused to add M-rated scenes, unless it was more angst. So, after many minutes of thought, I found a spot for the smut that actually adds to the plot.**

**So you all have that to look forward to.**

**Please Read, and review (Tell me what you think of pushing the smut forward. I'm almost hesitant about it…)**

**P.S. I might update twice a week. We'll see.**

**P.P.S. Happy Fourth of July!**


	8. Chapter 8

**7/12/12**

**A/N: **Yay! Finally an update on time. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it again… we'll see.

Thanks to: WickedWhiskey, Playelo84, darkangel4222, and Leo for A/AA/F/AF/R and to Miko Akako for being the bestest Beta in the world and helping me talk through the craziness of my brain to get things that make any sense at all. :)

News: I watched The Avengers this weekend and I must say, I am massively in love with Loki. I love lovelovelvoelvoe love LOVE him. He's just so sad I want to give him a big hug. I can't wait till Thor 2 (coming out November 8, 2013) I can't wait to see him and if they kill him in punishment, I'll cry like a baby.

That's all.

Please read and enjoy.

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 8**

Dave got Kurt a glass of water from the kitchen after he sat Kurt on the couch. When he walked back into the living room, Kurt was still leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, crying softly into his hands.

Dave sat down beside him and Kurt looked up at him with tearful eyes and gave a small smile as Dave handed him the water. Kurt's hands shook as he drank, but after he finished with the water, his sobs subsided. Kurt gently sat the glass on the table in front of him and leaned back, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around himself, curling into a small ball on the couch and staring at the wall across the room.

Dave watched him for a few seconds. He finally broke the awkward silence. "Kurt… What happened?" Kurt looked at his knees and sighed.

"Life," he answered, smiling sadly and uncurling from his position. He gently crossed his legs like he used to do, attempting to look normal. He sighed again and looked up at Dave. "What about you?" he asked, gesturing around the room. "You obviously have money… what happened after high school?" He folded his hands on his knee and waited for an answer.

Dave didn't really think his life was all that important at the moment, but he said, "I went to OSU and played football... after I graduated, I was drafted to play professionally." Dave hoped that was enough for Kurt. He didn't want to talk about himself while sitting on the couch with the thin, crying addict.

Kurt gave a small smile and said, "You have a great life." He took a deep breath. "Can I ask you something else?" he asked, looking up at Dave through his eyelashes and biting his lower lip.

Dave nodded, ignoring the flutter he felt when Kurt looked at him like that. No matter how much the boy had changed, he would always be Kurt.

"Well…" Kurt started taking a deep breath. "Just-" Kurt frowned as he tried to figure out how to phrase the question. He looked at the ground. "I was wondering… why do you even care?" He asked quickly, looking up at Dave with Wide, glistening eyes.

Dave is taken aback by the question. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

Kurt sighed. "Why do you care about… me?" he asked quietly, like he was afraid of the answer.

Dave has to think about the answer… he can't tell Kurt that he's loved him since High School… that probably wouldn't go over well. He decides to tell him _part_ of the truth. "Well… Kurt we were friends. I care about you," he said, reaching out to take Kurt's cold hand in his.

Kurt looked at their hands and bit his lip again; he smiled sadly and whispered, so quietly Dave isn't even sure he's heard correctly, "It's been a long time since anybody's cared about me…" He looked up at Dave quickly wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

Dave's slightly shocked, but quickly recovers and gently returns the embrace. He can tell Kurt's crying again and tried to comfort him.

After a few moments, Dave said, "It's getting late."

Kurt pulled away from him and stood up, wiping at his eyes. Dave led him into the guest room again.

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><p><strong>***Kurt***<strong>

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><p>Kurt sat on the edge of the bed after Dave closed the door. Now that time had passed and the bruises from the… <em>over-enthusiastic<em>… customer had become a dull ache and easy to ignore, he wondered why he had decided to come here.

Well… it wasn't so much a _decision_… he just took off and his feet had carried him here, to Dave's doorstep. His whole body ached and he knew it wasn't from the customer. He was starting to go into withdrawal… he knew it would only get worse but he tried to ignore it.

Kurt stared at the clean white walls in the spare bedroom that he had stayed in only a week ago… it felt like years... but looking back it felt like the days flew by in the same way. He'd wake up, take a hit, 'work' more hits, more customers, then sleep to start the whole thing over again.

Heroine makes sleep so much easier… Kurt reached inside of his boot and very gently removed the small piece of black cloth that holds the needle and drugs. He carefully unfolded the cloth and the needle and small plastic bag rolled onto the bed in front of him.

Kurt smiled to himself as he saw the drugs on the clean blanket… they don't belong there. The drugs were staining the fabric. Not visibly… but it looked wrong. Like it was out of place.

_Surely one more hit wouldn't do anymore harm… it's the last one ever. It's going to stop the DTs… I'll stop shaking, I'll feel better. Just one mo-_

Kurt cut that thought off and quickly wrapped the needle and drugs up and stashed them back in his boot. He won't do that anymore. He came to Dave for help and he's going to do his part.

He takes off his other boot and quickly crawls under the warm blankets. He lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling and waited. The bed was extremely comfortable and it had been a long time since he had a comfortable bed… but he still couldn't sleep.

He was used to sleeping during the day, so the sunlight that filtered in through the small window didn't bother him… but he still tossed and turned and couldn't sleep.

After what felt like hours, Kurt finally got bored just laying there and he pushed the blankets away from him, and sat up. He sighed at the bright afternoon sunshine in the room, showing it was probably around noon, maybe one o'clock. If Dave had been out looking for him all night, then he must be asleep now…

The thought of Dave driving around this god-forsaken city all night when he had football and a life to get to made Kurt's heart hurt… he never wanted anyone to come looking for him. That's why he never told his family and friends where he was or what he was doing. He knew they must be worried sick, or assume he's dead or something. But thinking he's dead is better than knowing the truth.

Kurt couldn't take the loneliness for another second in that room. So he stood up and walked to the door of the guest room. He opened it and peered into the empty hallway. The door to Dave's bedroom was shut, and the whole apartment was quiet.

Kurt slipped out of the door and walked down to Dave's bedroom. He looked at the door for a few seconds, deciding what he wanted to do now. Very gently, he knocked on the door and waited. If Dave was asleep, he'd just wait till he heard sounds later in the day, it'd be boring, but he wouldn't wake Dave up. He deserved a lot of sleep.

But Kurt didn't have to wait. The sound of someone getting out of bed could be heard from the other side of the door and a split second later, it opened.

"Did I wake you?" Kurt asked quietly, smiling when Dave shook his head silently.

"What's wrong?" Dave asked, completely confused about what Kurt could want.

Kurt blushed lightly and wrapped his arms around himself again. He stared down at his feet and said, "I can't sleep alone…"

Dave didn't really know what to say. Instead, he just stepped aside so Kurt could walk past him into the room.

Very slowly, Kurt sat on the edge of Dave's bed and tried not to notice the other man's discomfort and nervousness. Kurt knew that if he was sober then he'd be too shy to ask to sleep in Dave's bed, but drugs do wonders for inhibitions and at the moment all Kurt felt was the heady feeling that accompanied a really good high.

Dave didn't say anything as he laid down, his eyes tracking Kurt's movements as if he were a wild animal. In some ways, Kurt was. He was an unknown element, even if Dave could see some of the similarities of the past shining through. Slowly, Kurt rested his head on Dave's chest, taking comfort in the steady beat of his heart as he finally, finally drifted off to sleep.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked this chapter. <strong>

**One more piece of news: please go to : www. change petitions / ****fanfiction**** - net - stop - the - destruction - of - fanfiction – net**

**(take out the spaces)**

**And sign the petition to stop the wrongful takedown of the stories that rock. Thanks to Leo for giving e this piece of information. Spread the word to 'Unleash our Imagination'!**

**Please review and you'll make my day and sooth my troubled soul.**


	9. Chapter 9

**7/19/12**

**A/N:** Second time in a row I am on time ^.^

Thanks to: yummy1314, WickedWhiskey and Tabbica for all that Jazz… and to Miko Akako for being the best beta ever.

So: please read and review. Enjoy:

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 9**

Warm afternoon sun filtered through Dave's eyelids, gently waking him up. At first, he's confused and a little worried that last night was a dream… but those worries were destroyed when he noticed Kurt's weight on his chest.

Trying not to jostle the sleeping man, he looked down at Kurt's gentle form. His pale skin was rosy in this light and a small simile was playing on his pink lips. His soft brown hair was falling around his beautiful face and Dave very softly moved the hair away from his eyes and his fingertips brushed against the smooth skin of Kurt's forehead with the hand that wasn't wrapped around Kurt's shoulders. Kurt sighed in his sleep and leaned into the touch without waking up.

_He looks so happy… He's never looked more like the old him than he does when he's sleeping…_ that thought made Dave's heart hurt….

After a few more minutes, Kurt's eyes fluttered open. He looked around, confused for a moment, and looked up at Dave. He smiled and said, "Hello."

Dave smiled and replied, "Hi." Dave ignored the pang of discontent as Kurt sat up and stretched his arms above his head. He winced and quickly pulled his arms close to his body with a quiet cry of pain. One long, pale hand moved up to his temple and began to massage the skin there; he closed his eyes and took a deep breath…

"Are you ok?" Dave asked, sitting up and looking at Kurt with concern.

Kurt's eyes snapped open and Dave marveled at their beauty while Kurt smiled and said, "Just a headache… it'll get worse before it gets better."

Dave's confused for a moment before it suddenly snapped in his mind from the little bit of information he found on the internet: Kurt's starting to withdrawal… and it's going to get worse.

Dave frowned and stood up; Kurt followed him as he walked into the kitchen area of his apartment. Dave tells Kurt to sit at the table while he makes them a 'breakfast' at 6 pm…

Kurt sat dead silent as he stared out the window at the clear blue sky, lost in thought with one knee pulled up to his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around it. Every few seconds, Dave looked up at Kurt and found him sitting perfectly still, not moving a muscle.

After about 10 minutes, the food was ready to be eaten and Dave brought 2 plates to the table and sat one down in front of the boy, who jerked out of his thoughts at the sound of the glass hitting the wood table.

Kurt smiled up at him and gave a breathy laugh. He gently picked up a fork that Dave had on the table and began moving the food around the plate more than eating it. He looked at Dave, "So." He said, continuing to play with his food, "What are you going to do with me now?" he asked, "How are you going to 'help me'?" he used finger quotes and smiled a little as he waited for Dave to answer.

Dave looked down at the food, not really in the mood to eat anything. "I've actually been thinking about that a lot the last few days…" he said, getting up from the table and walking to the desk at the side of the room, picking a pamphlet from the clutter and walking back to the table beside Kurt, who was following Dave's every move silently.

Dave handed Kurt the pamphlet. The young former singer looked at the cover of the rehab facilities pamphlet and a small line appeared between his eyebrows. "Get sober?" Dave said, worried about what Kurt might do… He didn't exactly have the best track record for not running off. "Start living your life?"

Very slowly, Kurt opened the carefully folded paper and stayed very quiet as he looked through the information. After a few moments, Kurt carefully set the paper down on the table like it might explode and hugged his leg closer to his body. He looked up at Dave with wide, sad eyes and said, "I can't afford that… I don't have any money."

"That doesn't matter." Dave said, smiling in relief, "I have money." He said, gesturing around his apartment.

Kurt's already shaking his head, "I can't let you do that." He frowned at the floor and said, "You've already done so much-"

Dave looked at him very seriously until Kurt looked back up at him, "I wasn't asking." He stated.

Kurt smiled and said, "Then I guess I'll go…" his voice shook slightly as he spoke; he was still unsure if he should accept so much from this man who he hadn't spoken to in 5 years.

Dave beamed at his plate of food. No matter how much it costs, he'd do anything for Kurt.

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><p><strong>***A short time later***<strong>

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><p>Dave led Kurt out of his apartment and out to his car around the corner. Kurt only has a small bag of stuff which didn't look like it held much… he sat it on the floor by his feet in the car as he waited for Dave to get in.<p>

Dave quickly closed the door and started the car, looking over at Kurt.

He sat very still, staring down at his hands folded in his lap, one of his soft, pink lips caught between his teeth. "I don't know if I can do this…" he said quietly. "This is all I've known for _so long_." He sounded close to tears… his voice broke Dave's heart.

Very slowly, Dave reached between the seats and gently took one of Kurt's hands, causing him to look over at Dave with his beautiful eyes wide. "I know you can…" Dave said, meaning every word he was saying. "You're the strongest person I know, Kurt."

Dave smiled at his secret love and after a few seconds Kurt smiled too. He wiped away a tear that managed to escape with the hand Dave wasn't holding. "Can we make a stop, please?" Kurt asked with a strong voice, ignoring the tingles in his skin where Dave was touching.

Dave, who suddenly realized he was still holding Kurt's hand, quickly pulled away and said, "Of course. Where do you want to go?"

Kurt gave him an address and they drove in comfortable silence until they got to the address and Dave parked outside what looked like an old warehouse. Kurt stared up at it for a moment before he said, "I'll be right back." He quickly got out of the car without waiting for an answer from Dave.

Suddenly, the door to the warehouse opened and the girl who Dave talked to earlier in the week ran out to Kurt who stooped to wrap the girl in a hug. "Kurt!" Dave heard her say through the open window. "Where were you?" she pulled back from the hug and gently hit Kurt's arm. "You know how I get nervous when you don't come home in the morning!"

_This is where Kurt lived? _Dave thought, shocked that anyone could think of this place as home, especially Kurt.

Kurt stepped back a little, and said, "I know… but I was ok." He glances over his shoulder at Dave and Dave could almost make out a smile on his lips before he turned back to Nessie. "I have a question." He said quietly.

"Shoot, honey," The girl said, while reaching out to take Kurt's hand and lead him inside the warehouse, she tried to pull on his hand but Kurt is stronger than her and pulls her back.

She looked confused for a second but moved beside Kurt on the grass, waiting for him to speak.

He still had her hand in his, "Nessie…" he started, unsure of how to ask her the question. "Do you remember when your brother found a while back?" He eyes darkened as she nodded. "He told you he'd pay to get you cleaned up." Kurt paused, looking down at the ground.

She glared up at his and said, "I remember. What about it?" Her voice was pure acid as she remembered her brother.

Kurt took a deep breath and hoped she would react differently than she had with her brother… that was just ugly. Very slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the pamphlet Dave had given him folded smaller to fit in his pocket. Dave didn't realize he took the pamphlet with him… he handed the folded paper to Nessie and said, "Please go with me." he took a shuddering breath. "I don't think I'll be able to do it alone."

Nessie's hands shake slightly as she looked through the pamphlet. She looked back at Kurt for a second before her gaze snapped to Dave, still sitting in the car. She glare back at Kurt and pointed to the car. 'is this because of him?" she said loudly, surprisingly angry.

"Nessie," Kurt said softly, "I'm doing this because I never pictured my life this way." Though his voice was quiet, the intensity shocked Dave. "I fell into a rut of drugs and whoring around and I don't want to do it anymore!" He took a deep breath to stop himself from yelling. "Everything that happened" he quickly looked at Dave then back at Nessie, "Before and last night…" Dave couldn't help but feel Kurt was holding something back… something he didn't want Dave to know about… "It all just hit me." he shook his head and gestured to the warehouse, "I don't want to live _here_ anymore! You can't possibly want to anymore either." He gently took her slender shoulders and said, "Nessie…" Kurt's voice turned pleading as he looked at her, "You wanted to be a doctor. Did you forget that?" he softly shook her shoulders, "You had big dreams… I want you to do this with me." She still looked uncertain and a little angry… Kurt's voice shook as he said, "_Please_ Nessie." He grasped her hands in his and waited for a response.

Nessie looked down at their hands and blinked away tears. She nods and Kurt pulls her into a tight hug. Dave felt himself smiling as the pair stood there for a moment.

Nessie pulled back and looked at Dave, who quickly looked at the road. Nessie smiled broadly and said, "Is that what you were doing last night?" she said with a laugh.

Dave watched them again as Kurt blushed and said, "Nessie! No… he gave me a place to stay and a way to get my life back…" Kurt said, almost too quietly for Dave to hear.

Nessie smiled at Dave and took a deep breath, looking down at the pamphlet clasped tightly in her hands. "I have to go call my brother." She said, jumping to hug Kurt again. She released him and backed away towards the warehouse. She holds the pamphlet up and said, "I'll see ya there." She looks at Dave and winked as she hurried into the building.

Kurt stood perfectly still, staring up at the warehouse he used to call home for a few seconds, saying goodbye to this place hopefully forever. He wiped away a tear and turned around to smile at Dave.

He leaned back into the seat and looked at Dave with a smile and watery eyes and said, "I'm ready."

Dave returned his smile and drove away from the curb.

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><p><strong>There you go: Chapter 9.<strong>

**Ah Nessie… I love Nessie. I hope you like her as much as I do :)**

**I hope you enjoyed it and please Review. I love reviews and aren't getting nearly enough of them, it upsets me. so much so, that I'm even considering asking for a certain number of reviews for each chapter. I'm not now, because I hate it when some are punished for those who don't review. But I'm seriously considering it.**

**I'd like 2, and WhickedWhiskey reviewed on the last 2 chapters, so really, only one more person has to review... That's not too much to ask is it? I won't hold the chapter back, but I'll be a sad writer and complain in my A/N... Nobody wants that...  
><strong>

**so let's make me a happy writer and click the little review button. A proven fact: Happy writers write their smut scenes much sooner than sad writers... so... yeah...  
><strong>

**Until Next Week, Lords and Ladies. (I've been watching alot of Game of Thrones and Camelot... which definitely WEREN'T the shows I thought they'd be... much more sex/rape then I was expecting... BUT SO GOOD! I like kaleesi or however you spell her name... I only just finished season 1, so if you review any spoilers, I will wish you death by fire.)  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**8/7/12  
><strong>

**Daenerys. That's who I like, I thought her name was Khaleesi… but I only thought that because everyone calls her Khaleesi, which I'm pretty sure means Queen, because her husband was Khal, which is like the leader guy… so it was an understandable mistake. I will continue to refer to her in my mind as Khaleesi.**

**I want to buy all the books.**

**Sorry I'm late with this chapter. I just discovered my tumblr and I love it so much. I've spent hours on it.**

**Thanks to: WickedWhiskey and ArdentSinner for everything and to Miko Akako for being the best beta ever and having more knowledge about rehab places. :)**

**It's my 18th birthday. I want so many reviews I can roll in them with frivolity. That's why I'm posting today.**

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><p><strong><span>Shooting Star<span>**

**Chapter 10**

Kurt had been very quiet as he walked up the long side walk to the rehab place… _Hope by the Sea… _Kurt rolled his eyes at the silly name of the place. At least it was really by the sea. It was only about 30 minutes from the city, but it seemed to be in its own little world, surrounded by trees and water… it was all so peaceful.

The building was beautiful. Huge windows reflected everything like giant mirrors covering the whole front, white bricks shone brightly in the quickly setting sun. If he didn't know better, he wouldn't have known what the building housed. He could imagine it being the house of a celebrity and not a rehab center.

Kurt stopped outside the door, staring at his reflection in the glass. Kurt's hands trembled as he reached out to pull the door open. He rested his hand on the cool metal door handle and stopped. Suddenly he stepped back and looked up at Dave and said, "Are you sure I can do this?" He took another step back, clearly panicking a little. "I don't think I can. Maybe I should go back?"

He started to turn around to leave, courage suddenly failing him. Dave quickly reached out and took the shorter man's hand. Kurt looked up at him with sad, scared eyes that broke Dave's heart, "Kurt," he said, "You already made it this far. You can make it through anything." The sunlight made Kurt's eyes glow brilliant blue and his skin breathtaking. Dave stepped back before he did anything he might regret later.

Kurt smiled lightly and took a deep breath. He squared his shoulders, pulled open the door and walked into the cool lobby, quickly followed by Dave.

The room was huge, with pale blue walls and darker blue couches and leafy plants surrounding a large desk that cut the room in half. Behind the desk sat a plump, middle-aged woman with curly red hair carefully styled away from her face. She looked up from her book sitting on the desk in front of her as Kurt opened the door and gave him a warm smile.

"Welcome to Hope by the Sea!" she said, happily. "I'm Peggy. How can I help you boys?"

Kurt opened his mouth to speak, but he made no sound. He looked up at Dave, back at Peggy and said, "Hi… I- um…" Kurt couldn't seem to say the words… his usually high clear voice was trembling and quiet.

Peggy took pity on him and said, "You must be Kurt Hummel, right?" Kurt nods, not looking up at her. Dave had called just after Kurt agreed to be admitted to make sure there was room. She smiled and rolled her chair in front of her computer, pulling up the form she would need to fill out. "I just need to ask you some questions, okay?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, that's fine." He said, leaning on the desk and rubbed his temple, closing his eyes… Peggy looked up, worried for him as she typed it into the form.

"How old are you?" still looking from her computer screen to the pair in front of her.

"23." He said without opening his eyes.

"When was the last time you used?" she asked. "Try to be as specific as possible."

"Um…" a little line appeared on his fair face as he thought. "A little bit before Midnight last night."

"Really?" she asked, shocked. It was just after 8 at night and that means it's been 20 hours…

Kurt nodded and opened his blue eyes, staring at her. Peggy clicked her tongue and quickly clicked away on her computer, alerting the nurses that they'd have to come very quickly. "Ok… Last question for now…" she said, "what drugs have you used?"

Kurt looked at Dave and then back at Peggy. She noticed his discomfort and said, "We'll save that for later…" she typed the last bit on her forms and hit the print button. She slid over to the printer and carefully removed the paper. She put it in front of Kurt and pointed to the line at the bottom, "Sign here please." She said, when he did, she took the form back and said, "Ok, Sweetie… all you have to do is wait for a nurse to come and take you to your room." She leaned back in her chair and said, "Do you have any questions?"

Kurt silently shakes his head. Peggy smiled, "So… How do you two know each other?" She asked, smiling. She had the feeling that these two knew each other quite well, but you could never be 100% sure based only on a first encounter.

The sound of a door opening behind the counter made Peggy turn and stare as a nurse walked over to them. She smiled at them and said, "Hello. My name is Sheila." Her long, deep brown pony tail swung back and forth as she strode to them. She looked at Kurt and said, "Come with me please."

Kurt looked at her like a dear in the headlights and said, "Ok…" he took a step around the counter and then stopped, looking at the ground. Suddenly, Kurt turned around and threw his arms around Dave's neck with enough force to nearly knock them both over.

Dave was shocked, but wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist. "Thank you." Kurt whispered against Dave's neck. There were no words to say right now, so Dave just held Kurt close for a few more seconds, until a laugh broke the silence.

"You can visit on Saturdays, you know…" Peggy said, smiling at the pair. Kurt stepped back and smiled at her, blushing a little. "Just sayin…" she said, leaning back in her chair.

Kurt turned back to Dave with a small smile, "Will you visit me?" his voice was soft as he spoke.

Silently, Dave nodded in agreement. Kurt beamed at him and walked with the nurse back into one of the many doors leading deeper into the building.

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><p>When Kurt crossed the threshold of the mystery door, Sheila gently took the bag from his hand and led him into a small white room. The only furniture was a long table that took up half the room, and the nurses put his small bag on the table.<p>

"Is this all you brought?" Sheila asked calmly, moving to the bag on the table, leaving Kurt by the door.

"That's all that I own," Kurt stated quietly. The headache he's been battling all day has gotten worse and he was starting to feel nauseous… he just wanted to lie down and sleep for a few days.

Sheila gently opened his bag and pulled out its contents. A pair of pants and a t-shirt were tossed to the side and she picked up a small pad of paper and a pen out of the bag. She frowns and puts the pen into a plastic tub. Kurt's about to ask why she took the pen, but she points to a sign hanging on the wall: NO SHARPS.

Kurt sighed and let her continue looking through his stuff. She pulled out the small pouch he kept his drugs in, carefully unwrapped it, and tossed it into the bin too. Kurt leaned down and pulled the drugs out of his shoe. He silently sat it on the table and leaned back on the wall. Sheila looked up at him with shock, "Normally, people don't just hand them over like that," she said to herself. She shook her head and tossed the new pouch into the tub.

And lastly, she pulled out a single book. She held up Pride and Prejudice and looked at Kurt who was watching her silently. She carefully flipped through the pages of the worn out book and sat it back on the table and made sure the bag was empty.

After that, she put everything back in and handed the bag back to Kurt, who took it without saying anything. "Please follow me, Kurt." She led him down a hallway and took his height and weight on a tape measure taped to the wall and an old fashioned doctor scale and led him into what looked like a doctor's office and had him sit on the paper covered bed. "I'll be right back with the doctor."

Kurt nodded and tried to relax against the wall while he waited.

After about 5 minutes, Sheila came back in with the man who must be the doctor. His hair was grey and his lined face looked very distinguished. He wore a white dress shirt and a light blue tie that matched the nurses' scrubs under his white lab coat with the name Dr. Miller stitched above his heart.

Dr. Miller had a clipboard in his hands and was digging around in his pocket for a pen. He sat the clipboard n the counter in front of Kurt and said, "Hello, Mr. Hummel."

"Kurt." Kurt said. If he's gonna be there for a while, they should call him by his name.

The doctor looked at him, and smiled and said, "Well, Kurt, I'm Dr. Miller and I'll be your doctor." He looked at Kurt and continued, "How are you feeling today?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and said, "Just peachy."

The doctor smiled and said, "I meant: do you have any significant symptoms. Like headaches, nausea, the shakes..."

Kurt sighed and said, "Yes, yes and yes. I'm also a little cold."

The doctor nods and makes notes on the paper. He sits the pen down and steps towards Kurt with his stethoscope and tells Kurt to breathe deeply a few times. After taking his blood pressure and taking his temperature, the doctor warned, "I'm going to have to take some blood now." He pulled out a large needle and took Kurt's arm,

Kurt winced as the needle bit into his skin, but stayed as still as possible. The doctor handed his blood to Sheila and she left.

He took more notes and pulled a stool over from under the counter. He sat on it and studied the paper on the clipboard again.

"Weight's a little low…" he made another note… He glanced up and muttered to himself: "Malnourished… we'll have to work on that." Suddenly he got up and said, "Ok. How long have you been using? And what drugs?" he asked, folding his hands in front of him as he leaned on the counter.

Kurt looked down at the tiled floor for a moment while he thought. "I've been using heroin, sometimes cocaine, for about four years…" it's hard to believe it's been four years - it felt like the blink of an eye to Kurt - like, just yesterday he got to New York and that guy found him—

Kurt cut that thought off before he could get upset… he didn't have the drugs to calm him down anymore, so he can't ever… _ever_ think about _him_.

The scratch of the doctors pen on the paper of Kurt's new file was the only sound in the small office and Kurt jumped a little as the doctor spoke again: "Is this the first time you've tried to quit?"

Kurt nodded and watched as the doctor stood up, and reached into one of the many cupboards in the room. He pulled out a few pill bottles and sat them on the counter with a clang. "Ok, Kurt. This is your first time suffering from withdrawal, so let me explain a few things." He returned to his stool and resumed scratching away on his file, "Right now, you have a physical dependency on these drugs and quitting them cold turkey is very dangerous."

Kurt nodded, trying to pay attention to the doctor and ignore the growing pain in his head and the nausea…

He picked up a pill bottle. "That's why we have these. This," he said, shaking the pill bottle, "is what we'll start you out with. It's called Buprenorphine. It's a synthetic opiate, just like Methadone, but not nearly as addictive." He sat the bottle back on the counter. "But, if the Buprenorphine doesn't work, we'll use the Methadone to wean your body off the drugs."

Kurt frowned… he didn't know that cold turkey withdrawal is dangerous… people do it all the time…

"Now…" he said in a serious tone. "Just because we have you on this medication doesn't mean your withdrawal is going to be pain free. The way everyone's body reacts to this is different, but usually, even with medication, you'll be nauseous, you'll have headaches, cold chills, a fever. All of that is normal, and it should peak around 48 to 72 hours after your last high then level off, and then go away completely after a week or two." He smiled at Kurt and said, "And you seem to be handling it well."

Kurt frowned… peak at 48 hours… it'll get worse than this… _Yay_…

The doctor took a plastic cup from a stack on the counter and filled it up with water. He took another, smaller cup from another stack and started unscrewing a few bottles, taking a pill or two, then putting them back in the shelf. He smiled as he turned to give Kurt the cup of 5 small pills of different colors and sizes.

"One to help your nausea, two to help you sleep, and two Buprenorphine." The doctor said, pointing to different pills in the cup and handing Kurt the cup of water. "Do you have any questions Kurt?"

Kurt took the pills and shook his head. The door opened and Sheila slowly walked in, looking at Dr. Miller. "His room is ready."

"Perfect timing, Sheila!" he said brightly. Turning to Kurt, he said, "Sheila is going to take you to your room." He held his hand to shake and said, "Nice to meet you Kurt."

Kurt silently shook his hand and followed Sheila into the hallway lined on either side with door covered in stickers and drawings and names written in bright colors on the white paint. Sheila led him to the fist plain door in the middle of the hallway.

She quickly opened the door and walked in, with Kurt following her. She strode to the dresser and opened the top drawer, and pulled out a pair of Dark purple sweat pants. "Ok," he said, "Let me explain the rules." She held the pants out to him and continued, "Every day of the week is a new color of sweat pants. Monday is red, Tuesday is green, Wednesday is blue, Thursday is Dark Purple, and Friday is black." She pointed to the dresser, "every color is stored in here. And on Saturday, Visiting day, and Sunday, Worship, you can wear jeans or something like that…"

She looked down at the ground and appeared to try to remember what she was supposed to say next. Suddenly, her head snapped up and she said, "You're going to have an appointment with the psychologist every day at the same time, as long as there's not an emergency…"

Sheila gave a mall smile and said, "You'll start out as a level zero. Which means, unfortunately, you'll spend most of your time in isolation in your room. You'll be allowed to go to therapy everyday… you'll be able to get to level one as you get all those drugs out of your system," she winced and continued, "it shouldn't be too long." She smiled.

When Kurt returned her smile, she continued explaining the rules, "Once you're a level one, you can go to dinner and lunch and things with our other guests and Group, and you can go to the rec room, as long as you have an escort… so you have that to look forward to." He bit her lip and thought. "that's about it, any questions?"

Kurt shook his head. Sheila smiled and says, "Someone will be around to get you some food." With a little wave, she walked out the door and left Kurt alone in his new room.

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><p><strong>It's my birthday! BIRTHDAYBIRTHDAYBIRTHDAY. Review please :)<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Fun fact: I typed this while watching Gladiator in Humanities class… so this has been waiting a while….**

**Sorry for the wait, We've been having some technical difficulties and college is kicking my ass. The work load is way bigger than I was prepared for… and I have a speech on Wednesday that I'm super nervous for…**

**But thanks to: WickedWhiskey, The Animal Inside, What the Pho, and gema13 for everything. And a big thanks to Miko Akako for being the bestest beta ever ^.^**

**So, it's around 6 am in the story…**

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 11**

Kurt's suddenly alone.

He slowly sits down on one of the beds and pulls his bag closer to him with his foot. He looks around his new room. The bare, cream colored walls were calming and depressingly empty… and there were two beds. Kurt wondered if he would be getting a roommate any time soon.

He sighs and quickly changes into the ugly, dark purple sweat pants and sat back down on the bed. He pulls his bag up onto the bed, and opens it. He pulls out Pride and Prejudice and sat it on the nightstand beside his bed, and moved back to his bag.

Very carefully, Kurt removed the picture of Nessie he took back when they first met and put it on the nightstand beside his book. Then, Kurt moved back to the bag and hesitated.

Extremely slowly, Kurt removed his other photo… one he hadn't looked at in a long time… he'd just take it out, hold it for a moment, then put it back. Now, he gently ran his fingers over the carefully printed words on the back of the photo: _New_ _Directions! Winning Nationals, 2012._

Very slowly, he unfolded the picture. He stared at each of his friends' faces smiling up at him and he remembered how happy he was that day as the confetti rained down around them… he saw his own face, lit up with joy, looking over at Blaine standing beside him… he looked so happy in this picture… happier than he had been in years.

His breath was coming in gasps and tears were starting to fall as he gently put the picture on the nightstand beside Nessie's picture and he looked back around the room. This is nowhere near where he wanted to be five years ago…

His whole life has fallen apart. With a small sob, Kurt let his body fall back into bed. He buried his head in the pillow and felt the pills to help him sleep start to kick in.

Half asleep, a single thought drifted through Kurt's mind: _I like sleeping with David better… _

But before he could react to his own thought, the medication dragged him into sleep.

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><p>The sound of the door opening pulled him from his dreamless sleep. Kurt sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the sudden dizziness. He looked up and saw a man in light blue scrubs standing in the doorway… so they just barge in without knocking here… better remember that in the future…<p>

"Hello, I'm Paul!" he said happily "Breakfast time!" he said, carrying a small plate and setting it on the empty part of the nightstand beside Kurt's pictures. Looking down at them, "Friends of yours?" he asked, looking back at Kurt.

Kurt looked at the pictures, "I'm not really sure anymore." He said sadly, "It's been a long time."

Paul smiled sadly and pointed to the plate, "You'd better eat. If you don't, they'll give you an IV… then it just gets ugly." He began to back out of the room when Kurt took the plate from the nightstand and started to pick at the food there, though he was completely uninterested in eating it.

Paul stopped just inside the door. "I'm sure once you try, you'll find that they miss you as much as you miss them." Then he was gone.

Kurt started at the door where he left for a few seconds before slowly eating the food (It wasn't really all that bad) completely lost in thought.

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><p><strong>***About 20 minutes later***<strong>

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><p>Paul came back in the room and smiled at Kurt's empty plate. He looked at a clipboard that probably held Kurt's file and said, "Kurt Hummel… you have an appointment with Dr. Masters."<p>

Kurt looked up at him with a shocked expression, causing Paul to laugh lightly and say, "She's not so bad… Come on."

Kurt quickly got off the bed and followed Paul out of his room and into the hall again. Some doors throughout the hallway stood open and as they passed, pairs of eyes followed him. On one side, two women sat on one of the beds in a room painting each other's nails. Kurt hard them giggling after he passed… other's were sitting silently on their beds, reading books.

Paul led Kurt through a maze of hallways, before passing a pair of large double doors that led to what had to be the cafeteria… it look similar to the Lunch room back at McKinley, except the colors were far more calming… creams and browns led up to huge windows that showed the beautiful trees and the glittering ocean.

Suddenly, Paul came to a stop beside a large comfortable looking chair and said, "Here we are." Paul gestured to a door with frosted glass making it impossible to see into the room. The words Dr. Abby Masters was printed in bold letters on the surface…

Kurt slowly opened the door and a woman in her mid 30's with long blond hair tied back in a pony tail high on her head. She looked up with startling green and gold eyes outlined with thick black frames when Kurt came in. "Kurt Hummel?" the woman asked.

Kurt nodded and a large smile spread across her face. She gestured to the burgundy couch in front of her chair and said, "Please sit down."

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><p><strong>So sorry for the long wait and the shortness of the chapter. But I'm hoping to update again on Thursday… But no promises. <strong>

**Reviews might help me decide if I want to update on Thursday (it'll be before Glee…)**

**So, wish me luck on my speech and I'll tell you how it goes if I upload glee day.**


	12. Chapter 12

**9/23/12**

**I really did have every intention of updating this sooner, but time got away from me… Sorry :(**

**Thanks to: WickedWhiskey, OrtizXIII, and blacksista4eva for giving me reason to Live and Miko Akako for being the best beta ever!**

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 12**

Very slowly, Kurt moved to the couch in front of Dr. Masters. She smiled at him and said, "Good morning, Kurt." This woman was far too cheery for it being this early in the morning. "I'm doctor Masters and I'm your psychologist. How are you feeling today?"

_They must really like that question here_, Kurt thought dryly, and said, "I'm fine considering." He shrugged and leaned back into the comfortable couch.

"How do you like Hope by the Sea so far?" Dr. Masters asked, folding her hand on her lap where she balanced a clipboard.

Kurt shrugged and said, "It's alright."

Dr. Masters smile and said, "So, what do you want to talk about?"

Kurt stayed silent for a few moments while he thought. In all truth, he thought therapy was a joke. People paid tons of money to lie on a couch and whine about their mommy issues. Kurt shrugged and didn't say anything.

"Ok, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" She said, bringing one of her hands to fold under her chin as she stared at him.

"I'm 23 and a drug addict. There's not much to tell." Kurt stated simply, propping an elbow on the arm of the couch.

Dr. Masters nodded and made a note on the pad in front of her. She looked at Kurt and said, "That can't be all there is to know about you." The silver bracelet Kurt hadn't noticed immediately tinkled musically as she moved her hand again. "What made you come here?"

"A friend," Kurt said cryptically.

Mr. Masters opened a yellow folder and looked into it when she said, "A friend… David Karofsky?"

Kurt nodded and didn't say anything else.

"Was he an old friend? Or someone you just met?" she asked steadily, like Kurt's short answers didn't bother her at all.

"We knew each other in High school." Kurt stated.

"Tell me about him." Dr. Masters said, trying to get more information out of him.

Kurt sighed and asked, "He's my friend, what more do you want to know about him?"

"How about this:" Dr. Masters took off her glasses and said, "Tell me how he got you to come here."

Kurt frowned, not wanting to go into this… but he remembered what Sheila said: _advance in therapy._ So that probably means actually saying something. "For the last 4 years, I've been… working the street to get money for drugs." Kurt's voice was detached as he spoke, "about a week ago, David was driving around, and he saw me on the side of the road, took me home, and let me stay the night in his guest room." Kurt paused, wondering how to say the rest.

"Then what happened?" Dr. Masters said after a few seconds.

"Then," Kurt said, "He went to my work… the club, _Pulse_… and told me he wanted to help me…" Kurt scoffed lightly, "and I told him to stay out of my life."

"But he didn't." Dr. Masters said in a tone that sounded like a mix of a question and a statement.

"No." Kurt said, smiling. "He didn't, he took me to the theater where an old friend and I sang once… but I still didn't want to listen to him…" He paused; swallowing past a lump in his throat… he simply wouldn't cry over this damn story. "Then, 4 days later, I showed up on his doorstep and asked him for help." Kurt looked at the ground and waited for her to say something.

"Why?"

Kurt looked up at the doctor, whose head was tilted to the side in confusion. "Why what?" Kurt asked, confused.

"Why did you turn up on his doorstep?" She clarified, "What happened in those 4 days that made you want help?"

Kurt frowned, it's like this woman's purpose in life was to ask him things he didn't want to talk about. After a few moments of silence, Kurt slowly said, "The night before I went to him… I went with Nessie and the others to the corner, like we always did…" Kurt's voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper, but Dr. Masters didn't have any problem understanding what he said in the hushed office. "The others had all left around 10-ish… either to the club or with somebody…" Kurt started to shake, and it didn't have anything to do with the withdrawal…

"What happened after everyone left, Kurt?" Dr. Masters asked in a serious but calm voice.

Kurt took a shuddery breath as he continued with the story. "There was this guy, he talked to me before… he wanted to 'hire' me, but a cop drove by and spooked him away." Kurt said, trying to detach from the memory of him. "He came back a few minutes after everyone was gone." Kurt was clearly failing at maintaining detachment from what happened that night… he sniffled and continued, "He liked it rough and I tried to fight him… I haven't _done_ much since I met with David… but he said, 'nobody believes a slut that cries wolf.' And he threw the money at my feet and left." Kurt looked around the office and quickly wiped away a tear before it had the chance to fall and said, "Then I started to walk… my feet just carried me to his house."

Dr. Masters didn't break eye contact as he told his story… when it was clearly done, she made notes on her paper. Kurt clearly didn't want to talk about this, but if he wanted to get healthy, he'd have to.

Secrets keep people sick.

"How did that make you feel?" Dr. Masters asked, a slight frown on her lips.

Kurt made an ugly sound in the back of his throat at what he thought was an incredibly stupid question. "Bad enough to come here I guess." He said, glad that the shaking wasn't nearly as bad as it had been. "I really don't want to talk about this anymore." Kurt stated, folding his arm across his chest stubbornly.

Dr. Masters nodded and made more notes. _What could possibly be so fascinating that she has to write so much? _Kurt thought, watching her pen fly across the page. "That's fine Kurt." She decided to change to a lighter topic… "Where are you from?"

"Ohio." Kurt stated, back to offering a little information as possible.

"Why did you come up to New York?" She asked.

"Broadway." Kurt said sadly. "I was going to sing on Broadway."

"You like to sing?" She asked, not necessarily surprised, but wanting to keep him talking.

"I was in my high school show choir, New Directions… I loved it." Kurt said, his voice soft.

"You didn't sing professionally?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"No." Kurt aid, his tone darkening.

"Why?"

"Things happen." Kurt stated. His tone clearly saying 'leave it alone'.

"Did something bad happen when you got to New York?" she asked quietly.

Kurt glared at her. Why was she doing this? He can't think of that… he doesn't have his drugs. It hurt too much to think about without that numbness the drugs brought him. But she was still expecting an answer, if he wanted to see anything beyond the 4 walls of his room, he'll have to tell her _something_…

"I left Ohio after my former teacher got married in September… I got to the city in late October." Kurt took a deep breath and omitted about a little over a month of his life from his story. "In December, my friend Nessie introduced me to this guy. She thought I was lonely, so she tried to set me up… with Mark." Kurt's voice held nothing. No emotion whatsoever as he spoke… he could have been telling her what to get at the store… "At first," Kurt said bitterly, "he was the best thing I could have ever hoped for."

After Kurt paused for a few more seconds, Dr. Masters said, "How so?"

"He listened to me…" Kurt shrugged. "He held me while I cried." Kurt scoffed quietly. "He was Prince Charming." He said darkly.

A small line appeared between the woman's eyes as he spoke of the tears he had shed in his 'prince's' arms… he should have been ecstatic to get to the city he had wanted to live in so badly… "Why would you cry?" she asked, scribbling more notes on the paper.

Kurt blinked, unaware that he let that slip. He hadn't meant to… it just came out… he silently scrambled for an excuse, but his drugless hazy thoughts came up with nothing. So he sat silently, staring at a spot a foot over Dr. Masters head, refusing to acknowledge he'd said anything about tears.

"Kurt?" Dr. Masters asked again, sighing as he refused to look at her again… she made a long note on her paper, "ok, Kurt. Please tell me what happened with Mark." She said, conceding on this topic for now. They have plenty of time for Kurt to talk about whatever happened.

Kurt tried to hide his tiny, relieved smile and said, "Turns out Mark wasn't what he appeared to be." Kurt clicked his tongue and said, "We were dating for about a month… then after we… you know…" Kurt paused, his face flushing… he waved his hand and Dr. Masters nodded, knowing what he was trying to say. "He gave me drugs. Heroin." He said this quietly. Completely lost in the past. "I didn't want to… By then, I'd never done anything worse than pot… but he was… _insistent_. He said I thought I was better than him because I didn't want to do the drugs, we fought…" Kurt shook his head… "I didn't want to lose him. So I tried it…"

Dr. Masters made a few notes, and looked back up at Kurt, who had a sad look on his pale face and a far off look in his eye.

With a small start, Kurt jerked back to the present. "It was great… I loved it and him even more… but then he had me do more… at least 3 or 4 times a week. I moved in with him… but after about a week of living in his huge apartment which turned out to be an old motel, I started seeing him less and less. Once, I hadn't seen him in days." Kurt wrapped his arms around his stomach. "I was sick." He shuddered slightly, telling the story of his first mini withdrawal period reminding him of his situation now… then, once everything got to be too much, (Usually about a day after he used last) he'd go to his dealer and do _anything_ he wanted to get those drugs because the smallest amount of discomfort had been too much.

For someone who lost everything… a tiny prickle of pain can be unbearable.

So drugs were always there. But they aren't now.

"I was sick and he finally came back." He smirked, trying to detach again, but he remembered the night in vivid detail… like no drug in the world would wash his skin clean. "I immediately ran to him and he fussed over me, saying he should have come back sooner…" Kurt shook his head, looking at his legs folded in front of him. "I was too strung out to notice he had someone there with him. I was startled and tense; he looked at this guy and said, 'this is Oscar. He's been very good to us.' Then he patted his pocket where I knew he kept drugs. He said, 'now I want you to be very very nice to Oscar.' I didn't understand what he meant for me to do at the time. So I was nice to him like I'd be nice to any stranger that just randomly showed up in the place I called home. Then he started to get a little touchy feely with me…" Kurt swallowed past the lump in his throat, and continued, "I got it then… he wanted him to be my first… 'Customer.'" Kurt scoffed bitterly and said, "I couldn't do that. I wouldn't… I said, 'no- wait you can't be serious…' things like that…"

Dr. Masters spoke, "What did Mark say?" her voice was soft and kind…

"Mark was very serious. He said, 'yes, you can. And if you love me, you will.' He looked at me with his pretty green eyes and said, 'you _do_ love me, don't you?'" Kurt ran a hand through his long hair… he'd have to get it cut ASAP… but one thing at a time. "I told him I loved him… I thought I did… so he told me, 'do this for me.' then he took my hand. 'do this for us.' Then he kissed me… but it was a different kiss than normal… it was cold and detached…" Kurt took a deep breath and said, "So, after taking another hit, I did it… and then Oscar left." Kurt shuddered… trying his hardest not to remember what it _felt_ like… the only courtesy he paid Kurt was to use a condom. Now, almost 5 years later, he still couldn't forget it… like no matter how many showers with scalding hot water he took, he couldn't get clean…

But that's what the drugs were for. To make him feel all squeaky clean again… well… at least not feel anything at all.

Dr. Masters made another note, and looked up at Kurt. "That's all the time we have today Kurt." She gently put the paper she wrote on in a dull yellow file folder with Kurt's name on the tab. Kurt caught a glimpse of the date at the top, and the entire page covered in elegant hand writing… but he couldn't tell anything that she wrote, she shut the folder too quickly.

Kurt sighed, thanking whatever god there was that this ordeal was finally over for the day… "So, doc, how'd I do?" he asked, smiling.

Dr. Masters returned his smile and said, "You shared very well today Kurt." she said, but the smile disappeared as she said, "But I can't help but feel you held something back." Her voice held that questioning statement thing again as she stared at Kurt.

When Kurt said nothing, she pulled her glasses off her nose and said, "Maybe tomorrow." When Kurt stood up, she said, "I'll see you tomorrow Kurt."

And he walked out without saying a word.

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><p><strong>So… Please review.<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey friends. Merry Christmas, Happy Yule, Happy whatever you celebrate day! :)  
><strong>

**I'm not actually in the Christmas spirit... It's just not a good month for me. But I persevere.  
><strong>

**So... Sorry this chapter took so long, I don't feel like bothering with excuses HOWEVER I do apologize, I lost the list of who did what, so thanks to those who reviewed/the rest and... I guess that's it.  
><strong>

**And thanks to Miko Akako for being an all around beautiful person.  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 13**

The door clicked behind him as Kurt left the office. This place must run like clockwork because Paul was waiting for him outside the door, looking at him with a strange expression on his face.

"Strange." Paul said, getting up from the comfortable looking chair by the door. "Usually the newbies are crying the first time they talk to Dr. Masters." He mused to himself.

Kurt didn't say anything for a few moments as they walked out of the small waiting area outside Dr. Masters' office. "Can I ask you a question?" Kurt asked suddenly. When Paul nodded, Kurt said, "Do you know if someone named Vanessa Scott has checked in?" Thinking about his best friend.

Paul looked sideways at him for a moment and said, "I don't know, Kurt. Why?"

"I was just wondering." Kurt said quickly, worried that maybe she backed out of coming here… "Will you tell me if you find out?" Kurt asked, hopefully.

Paul nodded and Kurt smiled broadly, hoping she'd show up soon.

After a few moments they arrived at Kurt's room. "You need to start decorating that door." Paul said as Kurt opened the door for himself and walked inside.

After a second, Paul walked into the room and handed Kurt a small plastic cup he didn't notice he had. Looking inside, he saw 2 white pills…

"It's better to sleep through most of the withdrawal…" Paul said, handing Kurt a water bottle. "Less chance of your body shutting down."

Kurt froze with the bottle half way to his lips, and the pills in his mouth, waiting. He stared up at Paul in shock. He knew from the doctor that withdrawal cold turkey was dangerous but there was a difference between "dangerous" and "Hey, this can kill you."

A gross bitter taste brought Kurt back to the pills. He took a swig of the cool water and swallowed the pills. "Those are pretty strong." Paul said, taking the cup with a small apology in his voice. "I'd lie down now." He walked to the door while Kurt was still frozen on the bed. "Sleep well."

And he was gone.

Kurt sighed and crawled under the covers. With a long look at the pictures still on his nightstand, the pills took effect, and he fell asleep.

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><p><strong>***Later that Night***<strong>

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><p><em>The early morning sun gleamed, warming his skin as he lay, fighting the heaviness of his eyelids. Taking an unsteady breath, he tried to sit up, gasping as the dizziness swept through him and he fell back into the pillows.<em>

_Not trying to sit up again, his eyes slowly fluttered open, and saw nothing more than white above him. For a crazy second, Kurt thought he was in heaven but the soreness in his body and the dull ache in his skull made him rule that out…_

_Blinking the fuzziness away from his vision, he __saw that he was in a room that he had__ no __recognition of. Very slowly, so the dizziness wouldn't make him fall back, he sat up and started to look around; plain white walls surrounded him. There was only a window, showing the clear blue__ sky outside and a solid looking wood door far across the room from where he lay on the massive bed pushed against the wall. __I__n the corner closest to the bed, there was what looked like a bathroom with no walls in the corner. And, in the other corner near the bed, there was a small wooden dresser._

_Kurt tried to control his breathing and not start freaking out - it wouldn't do any good for him to panic. He needs to figure out where he __is and the__ only way for him to get any idea where he was to look out of the window._

_He moved from the center of the bed and heard a small twinkly noise, but figured it was the springs of the bed. That is, until he started to swing his legs over the edge of the bed and he saw a metal chain sitting on the bed._

_Frowning in confusion, with a slow sick sense of dread filling him, he reached out to pick up the heavy chain. He followed one end until it reached where he sat. He gasped in shock and fear as he reached out to touch the thick metal cuff that wrapped around his ankle, and rested against his bare foot. He must not have noticed it with the tingling in his limbs._

_He started to tremble in fear as the felt the keyhole at the base of the cuff where it connected to the chain. He followed the other end of the chain and found a massive pile of the heavy metal at the end of the bed, where it attached to a ring securely __welded __to the ground._

_He tried to slide the cuff off of his ankle, but it wouldn't budge. He slipped off the end of the bed and started to panic, His breath coming in quick gasps. He tried to remember what happened before he woke up here but it __was__ like his head was filled with butterflies and there was nothing to remember._

_Frantically, Kurt pulled at the chain; the clink of the metal crashing together was unnoticed by Kurt, who sat on the floor, not worrying about his clean white skinny jeans._

_The soft sound of the door clicking shut made terror spread shoot through his muscles, freezing him in place. Very slowly, Kurt raised his gaze from his shackled leg to the man leaning in the doorway; alarmingly calm as he stared at Kurt's panicking form on the floor with a sick little smile on his face._

_His jet black hair was tousled like he had just gotten out of bed… that's not how it should be. Normally, his hair was perfectly styled like any big shot in New York would look. His black eyes sparkled like a snake staring at a baby bird… "Kurt." he said, moving from his position on the door frame, coming closer to Kurt who sat frozen on the ground, unable to move. "I thought you'd never get up." He stepped up to Kurt and stooped low like he might pick Kurt up off the ground._

_But Kurt wouldn't allow the man to touch him. He quickly threw himself backward, not allowing contact… but he tripped over the pile of chains on the floor and ended up falling on his back with a gasp that made the man laugh. Kurt wasn't fast enough in his dizzy state to move away the second time he moved closer._

Kurt jolted up out of the covers with a scream. He looked around the dark room wildly, thinking he was back in that room. Relief swept through him as he realized he was still at the treatment center. But it was short lived as he heard the door slam against the wall and Sheila run inside in a panic. When Kurt spun to look at her, a wave of nausea overcame him and he bolted out of bed, heading for the bathroom.

He barely made it to the bowl before he emptied the contents of his stomach. He was vaguely aware that Sheila was there, rubbing small, comforting circles on his back and saying soothing things that fell on deaf ears.

All Kurt could think about was what happened after the moment he woke up… the thoughts would have made him throw up again if he had anything in him to get rid of. He leaned back slowly, waiting for the walls to stop spinning and using a shaking hand to wipe his mouth.

A bottle of water appeared in front of him and he looked up at Sheila's concerned face in front of him. Taking it from her gratefully, he rinsed his mouth out and leaned back against the wall in the small bathroom, the hot skin on his forehead leaning against the cool porcelain of the sink.

"You ok?" Sheila asked, taking a cloth off the counter and covering it in cool water before handing it to him. Taking it gratefully, he rubbed the cool cloth over his face and sighed as the heat decreased.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, wincing at the tightness in his chest, making it harder to breathe. He shook his head and frowned as the nausea remained, even though he was empty. Sheila sighed with compassion and gently helped him stand. He leaned heavily on her as she led him back to his bed, helping him lie under the rumpled blankets.

Kurt curled on his side, shivering as Sheila perched on the edge of the bed next to Kurt's knees. "I heard you screaming." Sheila stated with concern in her voice.

Kurt looked up at her with icy blue eyes silently, his harsh breathing filling the quiet room.

"Did you have a dream?" Sheila asked, leaning forward, placing a hand on his knee like a mother would. When Kurt didn't respond, she asked, "What did you dream about?"

"It doesn't matter." Kurt said, "It's done and over with." He closed his eyes, hoping to fall back asleep and not talk about the dream any more.

Sheila sighed and said, "Ok, Kurt." She got up, "Try and get back to sleep." She left.

Kurt lay there shivering for what felt like hours, but it was only a few moments, at most a half hour. He was so tired, he wanted nothing more than to sleep for days, but he couldn't make his mind stop replaying that day, over and over. That had only happened once before, the night before he'd first done drugs. He'd carefully omitted that fact from Dr. Masters.

Since he started the drugs, he stopped Dreaming, and that was perfectly ok with him if he never had to think about that again. But now, with nothing to dull his memory, he couldn't stop thinking about that horrible first day. It wasn't nearly the last, but it was the worst.

After the man (If you could even call a monster like that a man) grabbed him, he jerked Kurt to his feet by the wrist so fast, the walls of the room spun and made it impossible for Kurt to gain any footing and way too easy for the man to throw him on the bed, following him half a second later, pinning his already bruising wrists to the bed beneath him…

Kurt shook his head, trying to forget how the feel of that _thing _touching him made Kurt want to scrub all his skin off, but he failed. He felt sick and sad and incredibly dirty. He just wanted to crawl in the shower and turn the water on as hot as he could stand and maybe get clean.

Finally, Kurt fell into a short, miserable sleep that only lasted for a few moments before he woke up again.

That went on the rest of the night. The sky was beginning to brighten when Kurt finally gave up on the idea of sleep for now. Very slowly, and using the furniture around the room to help, Kurt got up and moved to the dresser and opened one of the drawers, and pulled out a pair of black sweat pants for Friday. Curious, Kurt opened the middle drawer and found carefully stacked shirts of many different colors. He pulled out a black tee-shirt and checked the size. It should just about fit him. In the last 4 years, Kurt had lost a lot of weight, but if he hadn't, the shirt wouldn't have fit.

Carefully and slowly, so the dizziness wouldn't make him fall, he changed into the clothes he had picked. His head swam as he headed back to the bed, hoping someone would give him some of that medicine quickly.

He stared at the photos he propped up against the lamp without moving, just trying to sleep as the faces of his friends stared back at him.

The sound of the door opening sounded like a gunshot to Kurt, forcing him to wake up with a groan. Groggily, Kurt opened his eyes, wincing as even the soft early morning light made his head throb like someone was beating it with a brick.

Paul looked at him, "Good morning. Ya feeling sick?" he asked, putting a plate of food on the nightstand just like he did yesterday morning.

"No." Kurt scoffed, suddenly very irritable, "I'm feeling just _peachy_."

Paul chuckles and says, "It'll pass after a few days." He turned to leave. "After a week or two, you'll barely feel it." Then he left, probably going to give the other people here their food.

Very slowly, Kurt sat up, eyed the food, and fell back to the pillow when nausea rolled through him again. He wasn't hungry anyway, might as well curl under the covers and wait till Paul came back to take him to therapy.

After a while, Paul opened the door again, quieter this time. He sighed at Kurt's untouched food and took it away. He came back in the room and said, "Time for therapy, Kurt."

Kurt frowned and slowly got out of bed, ignoring the soreness in his muscles and following Paul to the doctors' office slowly, Kurt not feeling well enough to move faster.

Kurt opened the door without pause when he reached Dr. Masters office. She gave him a smile as sat, wrapping his long arms around his legs and not returning the smile. "Good morning Kurt."

Kurt nodded as his reply.

"Is there anything you want to talk about today?" she asked, taking a fresh piece of paper from the desk and sitting it on her lap.

Kurt shook his head, not really in the mood for talking with her today or at all. Ever.

"Nothing happened last night?" She asked, knowing that something, indeed, happened last night. "Nothing at all?"

Kurt glared at her, and shook his head sharply.

Dr. Masters frowned and made a note on the paper. "No dreams?"

"No." Kurt said, incredibly frustrated.

Dr. Masters pursed her lips and made yet another note. "Ok then."

For the next hour, Kurt made very short responses to her questions about High School and New Directions, it seemed she wanted to know everything about him. And Kurt hated it.

Closing his eyes against the spitting headache, Kurt simply waited until the hour was up.

"I hope you feel better soon, Kurt." Dr. Masters said with a tone of finality that made Kurt open his eyes. "See you tomorrow."

Kurt walked back to his room with Paul in complete silence. It wasn't until Kurt sat on the edge of his bed with the cup of pills in his hand did Paul say anything. "I was talking to Peggy this morning." He said. Kurt looked up at him as he continued, "She told me we got a new girl early this morning." He paused dramatically. "Her name is Vanessa Scott. Her brother checked her in."

Kurt's face illuminated in a smile and he said, "Where is she?" he started to stand. "I want to see her."

Paul held a hand on his shoulder to stop him, "Not till you're both Level Ones." Kurt's smiled faded as Paul continued, "Until then you both have to be in iso." When Kurt frowned, he said, "It'll be faster than you think."

And with that, Kurt took his pills and fell asleep.

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><p><strong>This is where the story gets that extra bit of sad... Please don't hate me.<strong>

**See ya soon, my pretties.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey. Important notes down below.**

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><p><strong>1226/12**

**I got a bunch of cool crap for Christmas and message me if you care to know what, and I'll tell you.**

**There is a reason I'm updating again after one day, and that is because of the reason down below.**

**ONWARD**

* * *

><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 14**

It took a week of Hell for the withdrawal to fade into a dull ache. After that they stopped giving Kurt any medication. They didn't even give him anything to help him sleep.

Which was a real problem for Kurt, who couldn't seem sleep without help.

Whenever he shut his eyes, his mind started racing. It was like before he started the drugs. He couldn't get his thoughts to stop getting lost in the past, back in that white room with one window and the massive bed.

For the longest time, Kurt had wondered if this was normal - the insomnia, the _shame_… but he wouldn't- no… _couldn't_ ask. Because if you don't talk about it, then it doesn't exist.

So every night, he lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, memorizing the careful patterns in the plaster above his bed, praying for a dreamless sleep and never getting one.

It had been almost two weeks since he talked to anyone besides Dr. Masters, Paul, Sheila and the occasional nurse whose name Kurt couldn't remember. Kurt couldn't go out of his room except for the bathroom and Dr. Masters office and Kurt was going out of his mind with boredom.

Kurt was sitting on the foot of his bed, reading his book and waiting for Paul to come and take him to see Dr. Masters again. If this monotony didn't go away, he was pretty sure he was going to go insane.

Promptly at 6, Paul opened the door. Kurt instantly sat up and smiled at the man who sat food on the nightstand. "Good morning Paul," Kurt said brightly.

Paul frowned at Kurt, who instantly picked up the food and began to eat it slowly. "What are you doing up so early?" He asked, suspicious. Usually, Kurt watched the time better so he could pretend to be asleep and not cause any alarm. But today he'd picked up his book.

Kurt hesitated a moment, before he said, "I must be getting used to this sleep schedule." He lied, "I got enough sleep." He looked down at the food in front of him and scolded himself for not being more careful with the fact he hadn't sleep a full night since they took the pills away.

Paul didn't look entirely convinced, but he had other people to feed, so he left Kurt alone to eat. He wasn't necessarily hungry, but he knew he should eat, and if he didn't eat, they'd give him the IV Paul warned him about and he really didn't want that.

A short while later, Paul came back to take Kurt to therapy. Kurt didn't say anything as they walked. He preferred not talking at all. He opened the door to Dr. Master's office and smiled as he sat down in front of her.

"Good Morning, Kurt." Dr. Masters said, returning his smile. "How are you this morning?"

Kurt smiled and said, "I'm good."

"Good." She said, "Today, I'd like to talk about the boy who brought you here." She checked her file "David Karofsky."

Kurt frowned, "We already talked about him." He said, "What else do you want to know?"

"Just tell me about him." She said smiling. "What was he like back in High School?"

Kurt wrinkled his nose, "Well… he was kind of a bully." Kurt said with a chuckle. "He was severely closeted and he hated me." Kurt paused, deciding whether or not to tell he about the kiss. "Well… I guess he didn't_ hate_ me." Kurt crossed his long legs and winced slightly at the tightness in his muscles. "One day, I met a boy at a school we were competing against that year during a 'spy mission.'" Kurt chuckled. "Blaine encouraged me to stand up to my bullies and have courage."

During Kurt's story, Dr. Masters had been making small notes on her paper and smiling lightly.

"So, after a performance from my girls in the choir, David pushed me into the lockers again. But this time, I went after him, yelling at him. I followed him into the locker room and we talked…" Kurt scoffed lightly and said, "Well, we insulted each other, then he kissed me."

The scratching from Dr. Masters' pen stopped as she looked up in shock. "He kissed you?" she asked with interest.

Kurt nodded. "He did. I was completely shocked." He sighed, "But, later, we became friends. After school ended, we lost touch when he left Lima before me."

"How do you feel about him?" Dr. Masters asked, sitting her pen down and folding her hands on her lap.

Kurt frowned slightly, confused by her question. "He's my friend-"

"Do you love him?" She interrupted. A small line forming between her brows.

Kurt froze in place, "Well… he's my friend." He said, blushing lightly.

"But is that all he is?"

Kurt didn't know what to say. "I don't know." Kurt said, looking at the ground.

Dr. Masters looked at him with concern. "Do you care about him?" she asked, a look on her face that Kurt couldn't place.

"Of course I do!" Kurt said with alarm. "He saved me." He smiled "If he hadn't found me and brought me here, I'd be dead now." Kurt said with certainty.

"So do you love him?" Dr. Masters asked.

Kurt stared at the carpet, not sure of how he feels. He definitely felt something for David, but it couldn't be love. Falling in love is a joke and isn't real. "I can't," He whispered. "Love isn't real."

"Why do you say that?" Dr. Masters asked, frowning.

Kurt huffed. "Love is just something you say to get people to do whatever you want." He crossed his arms over his chest and said, "That's how it was, and that's how it will always be." He didn't know when he became such a cynic, but really, it was only a matter of time. People can't keep their cuddly penguin cuteness forever. The world is too harsh for that.

The doctor stared at Kurt for a long time before she took off her thick black rimmed glasses and said, "Kurt." She put the pad of paper covered in her tiny, scrawling script "I see that you're not ready to tell me what happened when you first got to the city."

She paused, waiting for him to tell her what happened. Well, that was never going to happen as long as he was still breathing. She sighed when he said nothing, "And I see there's no point in trying to force you to do anything you don't want to do."

She put her glasses back on and picked up Kurt's file. "I'm going to promote you to a level one." She said, making a note in the chart. Kurt was so happy, he almost didn't hear what she was saying next, "… and hope that soon, you'll trust me enough to tell me."

"Really?" Kurt felt a large smile spread across his face. "Does that mean I don't have to stay in my room all day?"

Solemnly, she nodded, "As long as you have an escort."

A thought popped into Kurt's head, "So… I can have visitors on visiting day?" He asked, smiling shyly.

The doctor looked up at him and smiled. She nodded and went back to her paperwork.

Kurt smiled broadly, "Thank you so much, Dr. Masters!" Kurt said with a light tone.

Dr. Masters glanced to the small digital clock on her desk and said, "That's all we have time for today Kurt."

Kurt was still smiling, and he stood up and moved to the door. He had his hand on the doorknob when Dr. Masters spoke again. "Kurt." He stopped and turned away from the door to face her with worry gnawing in his chest. Maybe she changed her mind.

She sighed, trying to decide how to proceed. "Please remember that I want to help you," She said, taking her glasses off and looking up at Kurt with wide greenand gold eyes "I won't judge you." Kurt was frowning, his happy mood spoiled by her words. "No matter what happened. Do you understand?" She asked seriously.

Kurt nodded silently. She gave him a small smile and said, "Now go tell Paul you can leave your room." Kurt nodded and tried to smile again.

Kurt walked back to the door and felt a tiny bit of happiness come back as he tried to ignore the words Dr. Masters had spoken. He replaced her words with the single thought that he was going to see David again soon. It made him happier than he cared to admit.

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><p><strong>So… Chapter 14.<strong>

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><p><strong>*IMPORTANT NOTE*<strong>

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><p><strong>I've been working on this site for a very long time. It's been about a year and seven months (ish… I counted on my fingers) and in that time, I've published 3 multichapter glee fanfics.<strong>

**This particular story is the one that is about as I can come to torture to myself as I can get without leaving my bedroom. I know authors aren't generally supposed to pick favorites with what they write, but this is me, picking a favorite. It's this story. Shooting Star is my blood sweat and tears and everyone knows that they best fanfics aren't the porn's without plots (though those are nice sometimes) and they aren't the cotton candy fluff fics (though, again, sometimes they're nice. But if you only read them, you'll get a cavity.) Generally speaking the best fanfics, or any story really, are the ones that left the author and all the readers in tears and heartbroken. They're the ones that left you feeling so depressed, and make you hate yourself just a little bit… but so proud of the human spirit, and in some cases you're rewarded for sticking around till the end and wading through all the sadness by being giving a happy ending.**

**Throughout this gut-wrenching process of writing Shooting Star, and all of the fics I have, there has been one person with me from day one. And her name is Miko Akako. (not really… that's her penname (:) **

**And today is her Birthday.**

**And this is my gift to her.**

**I'm giving her my blood sweat and tears.**

**I'm giving her this story.**

**Not a single chapter, but the story as a whole. It is now dedicated to you, Miko Akako.**

**You have been there from that night at dark o'clock in the morning when I sent you that text that basically gave you the major climax of the story, to now. You started out as nothing more than a springboard for my ideas and a spell-check (no offense) but you became my friend.**

**You've helped me make this story better than I could have possibly imagined, and even though you're a little late with the chapters sometimes, I don't mind.**

**Because I couldn't be prouder to call you my friend.**

**Happy Birthday.**

**May the coming year give you much happiness, and the dark days be brightened. I wish you a joyous day.**


	15. Chapter 15

**3/25/13**

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 15**

The last day stuck in his room alone was finally over and Kurt couldn't wait to start doing something. He waited anxiously for Sheila to bring his breakfast under the warm blankets on his bed, occasionally turning from one side to the other restlessly.

He snapped up when he heard a light tap on his door, followed by Sheila carefully opening his door carrying his breakfast. She smiled when she saw him sitting up and said, "Good morning Kurt!" She sat the food down on the night stand as usual and said, "Hurry and eat. You have to get dressed and go to group."

"Group?" Kurt asked, already reaching for the plate.

Sheila nods and said, "It starts in a half hour." Then she left.

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><p>*** A short time later ***<p>

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><p>Kurt had eaten and changed into the correct colored sweat pants and was ready for group when Sheila came back with a smile. "Come with me Kurt." She gently waved him out to the hallway where she led him down the hall the opposite way he went for his appointment with Dr. Masters everyday which was moved to a later time after he leveled up.<p>

"What's group like?" Kurt asked quietly, nervous about meeting the other people who currently live here.

"Oh…" Sheila smiled at him compassionately. "Cecilia is a good group leader," She said. "It's not that bad really. Sometimes the subject matter brings out unpleasant emotions, but you're new." She smirked at him, "So today it'll be all about you."

They'd walked to a hallway with doors that looked like the doors they have in schools. Sheila stopped at a door like any of the others, except through the small window in the wood, Kurt could see people moving around and mingling. She smiled up at Kurt and said, "I got you last, so they're all waiting for you." She glanced inside then back up at Kurt. "I'll see you in about an hour." Then she turned around and left.

Kurt stared after her for a moment and took a deep breath before pushing open the door and taking a small step inside, trying to project an air of ease and confidence.

A young woman with her brown hair tied back in a low bun with a small flower pinned in it smiled up at him from one of the chairs arranged in a circle in the middle of the room. "Don't be shy," She said, waving him in. "Come on in and take a chair."

Kurt slowly walked inside and smiled around at the 6 other people. It seemed pretty small for group therapy, but it must work.

The people in the room quickly moved to the chairs and sat down. Kurt made his way to the only available chair between a thin blond and a big guy in a tank top.

The brunette smiled at everyone and said, "Welcome." She looked directly at Kurt and said, "We have a new member in group today, so I'll introduce myself: I'm Dr. Cecilia Smith, but I prefer to be called Cecilia." She looked back at the group. "Please introduce yourselves to him." She gestured to the girl beside her to begin.

Her blond hair was thin and wispy around her extremely thin face, she had wide, scared blue eyes and it seemed like her bones were trying to break out of the skin that was visible between the giant hoodie that hung to her thighs and covered all but the tips of her fingers. The girl said, "Hi. I'm Penny," and wrapped her arms around herself like she was cold and curled up into a small ball perched on the edge of her hard plastic chair.

The next person in the circle was a very strong guy in a white wife beater that showed off huge muscles that he obviously was incredibly proud of and the black sweat pants that were the uniform of the day. He smiled at Kurt and said, "Hey, I'm Tommy."

Kurt nodded at Tommy, and the guy beside him started talking. He had dull green eyes and a big bald head and a beer belly… he was nothing that anyone would look twice at. He introduced himself as John.

Then Angie, who had pink hair cut short just below her ears, and big brown eyes. Her skin had an unhealthy grey look to it; she was thin, but not unhealthily skinny like Penny.

Then, the last 2 girls who had moved their chairs together when they had first sat down and were currently sitting so close together they were almost sitting on each other's lap. One, Callie, had milky white skin and green eyes that sparkled when she spoke. The other girl had long brown hair, brown eyes and gorgeous skin that looked like coffee with the perfect amount of cream. She reminded Kurt of Santana without the sharp face… she was thin and wore a loose long sleeve shirt that bunched up around her wrists when she moved, her name was Heather.

When everyone had introduced themselves, Cecilia looked at Kurt, "What about you?" she asked kindly.

Kurt looked around at every one and gave a small wave. "I'm Kurt."

Heather smiled broadly, "Hi Kurt!" she said brightly, far too happily for someone staying at a rehab center.

Cecilia smiled at her and turned back to Kurt. "Hello Kurt. Would you like to tell us a little about yourself?" She asked, giving him the option to say nothing if that's what he wanted.

But he should say something… he frowned at the ground and said, "I'm an addict…" he said quietly. Kurt really hated saying that, but it was the truth and what is it they all say? The first step is admitting you have a problem. So that's what he did.

Over and over and over and over again.

"What drug?" A voice asked, breaking Kurt out of his thoughts.

Kurt's head snapped up and saw the big guy, Tommy, looking at him expectantly. Kurt shrugged and said, "Whatever I could get."

Tommy nodded and Cecilia spoke again, "What made you come here?"

"I didn't like where my life was going," Kurt answered quickly, expecting the question.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Cecilia asked in that special tone all therapists seem to have.

Kurt sighed and said, "I thought my life would be so different when I first got to the city. I was going to be a singer on Broadway." Kurt scoffed at his foolishness, and continued. "Then I got so strung out that I-," Kurt cleared his throat and continues again, "I did anything I could to get high." He looked at the ground, "mostly I worked at the club, doing _anything_ for the money."

The obnoxiously happy girl (Heather) detangled herself from Callie enough to lean forward with a sad expression on her face. "What made you stop?" She asked, reaching for Callie's hand, like the new inches separating them were unbearable for her.

He ignored the feeling of irritation as he had to tell this story _again_. "A guy reminded me what my dreams were… and brought me here." He said, hoping it would be enough and they would leave him alone.

Cecilia, sensing his anger, said, "I'm glad he did." She turned to the group, "What would everyone like to talk about today?"

Penny squeaked, "I'd like to learn more about Kurt." She said with a small smile on her face. She didn't give anyone a chance to react before she bombarded Kurt with questions. "Where did you come from?" "Who was the 'friend'?" "Did you have a pimp?"

Kurt didn't answer most of the questions; he let the other people in the group shout different things to each other, drowning out whatever Kurt would have said. He learned a lot about the people in the group by watching them talk to each other.

Like Callie and Heather were defiantly an item, If their 'secret' kisses where any indication. And this upset Tommy, who obviously had a major crush on Heather. And Penny acted like Rachel Berry… and she had acted quite well when she told Cecilia that she had been eating, so she was anorexic. And John and Angie were the quiet types who had sat back without saying a word the whole hour.

Sheila knocked on the door after an eternity and declared it was time to go to whatever the next step in these people's day would be. Slowly, they started to trickle out of the room and Sheila walked up to Kurt, who was sitting still in his chair and said, "Time to go." Kurt got up and followed her through the hallways. "You have an hour till lunch," She said smiling, "what do you want to do?"

Kurt didn't say anything right away, so Sheila said, "There are a couple things you could do for the hour. You could go outside with a few others, but it's a bit cold for that… or could go to the Rec Room." Sheila paused, waiting for Kurt to say something.

"What's in there?" he asked.

Sheila smiled, "There's books, TV's, Lots of DVD's, some video games…" she said perkily, "there's even a piano!" she added, "It's a lot of fun."

Shrugging, Kurt tells the nurse he'd like to go to the room. And after a short walk through the maze-like hallways, she led him to a large room, and told him she'd be back in an hour.

The majority of the walls were windows that let in the beautiful sunlit forest surrounding the building, and made the bright florescent lights useless. People sat in group in front of huge TV's or in comfortable looking armchairs in front of the windows reading books, all of them were in a group of at least 3 or more… so Kurt didn't know where to go.

"First Day, Bambi?" he almost jumped a foot in the air when a voice behind him spoke suddenly. He whipped around and saw a girl wearing a black leather jacket and the black sweat pants of the day, sitting on a small couch pushed against the wall and holding a pair of brightly colored knitting needles in her slender fingers.

She smirked and patted the empty seat next to her. Kurt moved to her and sat down silently. "I'm Kendra," She said, pushing a lock of dark brown hair behind her ear. Without saying anything else, her needles rose and she began to tease the dark red yarn where she wanted it and the only sound was the soft clack of the metal needles.

"I'm Kurt," he said softly, his eyes never leaving her fingers as she quickly made stitches in what looked like a blanket. She nodded and continued knitting. They sat like that for a few minutes with Kurt watching her, trying to figure out how to knit like she did, before Kendra suddenly sat the future blanket on her lap and reached down to the basket sitting at her feet.

She pulled a pair of long, thin neon blue needles out of the piles of yarn and sat them down next to the blanket. She looked at Kurt and said, "Give me your hand."

Silently, Kurt held out his hand and she took hold of his fingers and studied them. Then, with a smile she held his hand flat, palm up and placed the cold metal empty needles in his hand. He looked at her curiously before she handed him a ball of soft black yarn. "Do you know how to tie a slip knot?" When Kurt nodded, she gestured for him to do it.

He did and she told him to tighten the knot around the needle, but make sure it wasn't too tight or it wouldn't work. She showed him what was called The Lasso for 'casting on', she said it's more fun to make blankets, so Kurt made a lot of cast on stitches for his blanket.

Hundreds of stitches later, she showed him how to make the first row of the actual blanket and they sat like that for almost the whole hour, with nothing more than the metal clanks for noise.

Kurt had 6 and a half rows completed when a woman wearing pale green scrubs sitting on a chair in the far corner typing on a computer looked up and announced, "5 minutes," then turned back to her screen.

Kendra looked at Kurt's progress and said, "That's good Kurt." She gently took the blanket from him and said, "You're a natural." She put both sets of needles in the basket and stood up, walking to a cabinet and closing the basket inside it. She came back and tossed herself down on the couch and leaned back, stretching her fingers.

Kurt looked at her curiously, "Kendra." He said, getting her attention before continuing. "Why were you sitting over here by yourself?"

She smiled and said, "I don't get along well with others."

"Then why did you call me over?" he asked, confused.

She sighed and hesitated before finally saying, "You looked like you had something you needed to talk about." She stared deeply into his eyes, like she was trying to pull the truth out through the eyes. She spoke again, "It's like there's some dark secret hiding behind your pretty eyes."

Then, quite suddenly, she turned to stare out the window and didn't say anything else. After a moment of silence, Kurt asked, "Aren't you going to ask about it?" It seemed strange that this woman would just comment on the fact that Kurt had a dark secret then not ask about it…

She smirked, "I figured you'll tell me when you're ready." She glanced at him, "Do you want to talk about it?" her eyes were intense, giving him the option to speak or not.

Kurt was silent for a while. "Not now." He said quietly as the people began to walk through the door to wherever they were supposed to go, some being led by nurses, others just walking out alone.

Kendra nodded and said, "See you tomorrow, Kurt." And she left, alone.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the delay friends. I've been busy and my beta has been busy… She has her thesis and I have final papers and tests. It's a mess.<strong>

**But I'll make sure to bother my beta with chapters and have her bother me so that my updates won't be 3 months apart anymore.**

**And as an "I'm sorry" I'll tell you this: I learned a bunch of stuff in Criminology that I will use in this story. But that's all I'll tell you.**


	16. Chapter 16

**4/27/13**

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 16**

Kurt was silent as Sheila led him to lunch. He wasn't really hungry, but he missed being around other people so he wouldn't complain. Sheila had tried a few times to ask Kurt about his "rec hour" as she called it, but he didn't speak much.

It seemed the longer he stayed in rehab the less he spoke.

It didn't take long to get to the cafeteria from the Rec Room. And Sheila pushed open the door for him and said she'd be back in an hour. Then she left to do whatever it was she did during the day.

Kurt stood awkwardly in the doorway, looking around the large room full of laughing and talking groups of people and the short line of people waiting to get food from a kitchen area with an entrance and exit.

It was like being the new kid in school. He had no idea where to sit and he really didn't want to eat alone on the first day he was allowed out of his room. That would just be sad.

He was contemplating just sitting on the far side of the cafeteria by the windows when he heard a high, happy voice call out across the room, "Kurt! Over here!" she said, standing up and waving like a peppy little fool. It was Heather and she was rushing over to him from a table in the middle of the room.

In seconds she was in front of him laughing. "I thought you might want to sit with us," She said brightly, gesturing to where a dozen people, some familiar and some new, were staring at him with curiosity on their faces. When Kurt didn't respond immediately, her face fell slightly and she said, "Unless you don't want to…" she added, sounding like a kicked puppy.

"Of course I'll sit with you, Heather," he said quietly, giving the girl a small smile and hoping these people wouldn't gape at him like a new attraction at the zoo. Heather beamed at him and gently looped her arm through Kurt's elbow and tugged him along with her to the table and the empty seat on the hard plastic bench beside her.

Kurt sat and looked at the people around him. Heather hummed a little and swung her legs back and forth under the table before Callie, who sat on Heathers other side on the end of the group, tapped her and gestured around the table. She jumped a little before looking up at Kurt and she said, "Oh! I almost forgot to introduce you." She pointed to the woman with beautiful golden hair sitting on the other side of Kurt, "That's Katherine, but we call her Cat…" Cat waved without smiling and heather piped up again, "She doesn't talk… compared to her, you're chatty Kurt," She said, giggling at her own joke that no one else even smiled at.

She moved on to the boys sitting at the ends of the table on either side. They looked incredibly similar to each other and wore the same color shirts, the only thing different about them was their hair colors; the one on Kurt's side of the table had deep brown hair cut short around his ears and the other had bright blond hair that flowed down to just below his shoulders. Heather said they were Jon and Cam, and they weren't actually brothers, which was surprising. She called them Thing One and Thing Two.

Then, a small girl named Alex introduced herself, giving only her name and a glare to Heather to dare to give her a nickname.

The Heather gestured to Angie sitting beside Alex, "And you already know Angie, Callie and me…" she touched Kurt's shoulder and said, "Everyone, this is Kurt, he just joined our group. So be nice." She glanced up at the line of people that had thinned out considerable as she spoke. "Let's go get some food, friends of mine," she said, taking Callie's hand and leading the group to the food line.

Kurt followed silently beside Cat and stood in line and was reminded of high school again. The food was served by people that lived here and looked pretty good for what was basically school food. Grilled chicken and mashed potatoes served on thick Styrofoam trays set on metal shelves at shoulder level. Cat was the only one who didn't take the chicken. She walked to the big refrigerators with glass doors showing rows of salads in plastic buckets, she took one and went silently back to her spot behind Kurt.

They went through the line to the woman in black scrubs (Kurt didn't even know they made Black scrubs…) who made each of the people in line say their names as she marked what they got. Heather leaned back to whisper to Kurt, "They have people at the trashcans that make sure you eat all your food." She smiled at him and told her name to the woman. She turned to the door on her left and waited for the rest of the group and led them all back to their table.

Kurt didn't say much as he tried to drown out the people's chatter. He only answered a few questions that were directed to him and then went back to picking at his food, waiting for the hour to be over.

Sooner than he really expected, Sheila tapped him on his shoulder and said, "Time for Dr. Masters." She said, smiling at the people sitting at the table. Kurt stood and picked up his tray. Heather jumped up and said, "See you tomorrow Kurt!" she said brightly wrapping her thin arms around Kurt's shoulders, making him freeze in place, then awkwardly patting her on the back until she let him go and sat down beside Callie, who was smiling at Kurt. The rest of the table waved goodbye as Kurt was led out of the cafeteria.

Sheila smiled at him and said, "I see you've made some friends." Kurt nodded without saying anything and her smile faded a bit… "Are you enjoying your day so far?"

Kurt could tell that she was trying to get him to say something, so he said, "Yeah, it's defiantly… interesting." He didn't look at her as he spoke; instead, he stared straight ahead and walked to Dr. Masters' office.

Sheila didn't say anything as she walked away and Kurt knocked on the doctor's door. When a faint, "Come in." Answered him, Kurt opened the door and smiled at Dr. Masters as he sat on the couch in front of her.

"How was your first day, Kurt?" she asked, flipping to a new page in her notebook.

"It is defiantly interesting so far," he said, brushing the hair out of his face and folding his hands on his knees.

"That's good," she said, making a small note on the paper. She looked up, smiled and said, "Well, as you may or may not know, Visiting Day is tomorrow." Kurt smiled and nodded. She continued, "Are you excited to see your friends?" She asked.

"Friend," Kurt corrected quickly "Just David." He was about to say more, but Dr. Masters held up her hand with a confused look on her face.

"You don't want any other friends to visit you?" She asked tilting her head to the side.

"Not a chance." Kurt snapped.

The doctors' eyebrows shot upwards and, "Why not?" she asked. "Friends are an important part of the recovery process."

Kurt didn't say anything.

"Are you ashamed of being here?" She asked, flipping her pen between her fingers and folding her hands.

Kurt looked to the ground, still not saying anything, but Dr. Masters seemed to understand that was a definite yes.

"Kurt," Dr. Masters said, "There's nothing to be ashamed of." She leaned forward, trying to make her point sink in through her body language. "Addiction is a monster. It takes incredible strength to accept treatment. Most people can't help but fall off the wagon."

Kurt nodded, still not looking up from the floor. "Well," he said, trying to look for another excuse. "I haven't spoken to my friends or family in almost 5 years. I have no idea if they're in Ohio anymore… and if they are, I can't expect them to drop everything and come up here just for me."

Dr. Masters looked at him sadly for a few moments before making another note on her page. After a few seconds, she looked up and said, "Then, are you happy to see David tomorrow?"

Kurt smiled and said, "Yes, I can't wait."

Dr. Masters nodded and said, "You must miss him."

Kurt nodded and said, "Well it has been 2 weeks since I've had any contact with anyone that doesn't work here."

Dr. Masters sighed and said, "The time of isolation is necessary to heal."

Kurt nodded; Sheila and Paul had told him this before. "I know," he said, "it's just ridiculous." He leaned back, folding his arms over his chest.

Dr. Masters chuckled, "yes, well, there are some things you should know." She said, "We won't have sessions on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday is worship, and my day off."

Kurt wrinkled his nose at the word 'worship'. "Why do I have to go to _worship_?" he said, "I don't believe in God… I've never read the bible."

Dr. Masters nodded, like she expected his hesitation. "We find that giving everyone something to believe in. It gives our patients comfort when things get tough."

Kurt shrugged, not caring enough to argue with her. For the rest of the hour Kurt had turned the conversation to light topics about his childhood. When the hour was up, Dr. Masters had smiled from her chair and said, "see you on Monday, Kurt. Enjoy visiting day."

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><p><strong>Ok. Now I just took my last final this morning (at 8 am! I haven't woken up that early since high school.) Then got home and took a nice little nap. But I have class again on May 6<strong>**th****, I am hoping to get as much writing done as possible until then.**

**Thanks to all those who read reviewed and the like… and to Miko Akako for being the bestest beta ever.**

**Also, I'm really looking forward to the next couple chapters.**


	17. Chapter 17

**5/3/13**

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><p><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 17**

Sheila led him from Dr. Masters back to the cafeteria. "Part of the healing process they use here is chores," she said, "It's supposed to be important in gaining life skills. So here's your hour of chores." They stopped in front of giant sinks filled with long thin pans and big pots sitting in the shiny metal sink. "They have to be clean… but you don't have to do it all alone. These are only about half the dishes." She turned to another sink on the opposite wall. Cat was watching them silently and waved at Kurt with a small smile and turned back to her work.

Sheila smiled, "Have fun Kurt," She backed out of the room.

Kurt sighed and turned to the large stack of dishes and started to clean them in comfortable silence with Cat. The only sound was the scrubbing of the pans and the rushing water.

After what felt like hours, but was probably only about 10 minutes, Cat cleared her throat quietly. Kurt froze because it was the first noise he'd heard the girl make. He turned and found her staring at him with her hands elbow deep in the dirty water. "I just wanted to say," she said slowly in a high, clear voice, "That I am very glad they finally got someone else to help me with these dishes." She spoke slowly, like she was choosing her words very carefully. "And I want you to know that you are a fine addition to my group of friends." She gave him a tight lipped, almost forced smile.

"Um… Thank you," he said, returning her smile. She turned back to her work.

Kurt wondered why the girl was here. She didn't look or talk like any druggie he'd ever met; there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her at all. Except for the fact that this was the first time he'd heard her speak, and her words sounded like she'd rehearsed them in her head a thousand times in her head before she spoke.

Kurt shook his head and returned to his work. After a few short minutes, Kurt spoke up, "So," he said, causing Cat to pause for a second, but then continue with her work. "Why don't you talk when we sit together at lunch?" He asked, not looking up from his shrinking stack of dishes.

Cat inhaled through her nose and didn't answer for what felt like an eternity. Kurt was about to repeat the question when she spoke, "There were too many people," she said, "I do not talk in front that many people."

Kurt frowned, the girl was too shy to even talk in front of 2 people? "Why not?" he asked.

The response came much faster this time. "It is how I was taught," she replied in a tone that clearly said the talking part of the hour was over. That was just fine with Kurt, who simply turned back to his dishes and thought about what the girl had told him.

The dishes were now freshly cleaned and dried and ready to be put away. Kurt asked Cat where they were supposed to go, but instead of responding, she picked up one of the long, flat pans and walked deeper into the kitchen, and pushed the pans in an empty cabinet beneath the ovens.

When all the dishes were put away, Kurt looked up at the clock and found there was still 12 minutes of this chores hour, so Cat waved her hand out of the kitchen to the empty cafeteria and they both sat in comfortable silence staring out the window until Sheila showed up.

The nurse came into the cafeteria and smiled as she saw Kurt and Cat sitting on one of the benches with their backs to her. "You all done?" she asked, waiting in the doorway.

Kurt turned around and said, "Yup." He stood up and smiled down at Cat still staring out the window and ignoring anyone else's presence. Kurt shrugged and walked away with Sheila.

"How were chores?" Sheila asked as she led them down another stretch of hallway.

Kurt scoffed. "Exhilarating," he said sarcastically.

Sheila laughed and opened a plain door and leaned against the door, "Enjoy class," she said, walking away.

Kurt hesitantly walked into the room and found 9 large desks that each sat 2 people. Only half of them had anyone sitting in them, and Kurt smiled as he saw Kendra sitting in the middle row as far right as she could get with her feet propped on the desk, staring aimlessly at the tall young woman stacking papers on the desk in front of the room.

Kurt made his way over to her and tapped the desk. She flinched and looked at Kurt with big green eyes and smiled, patting the seat next to her. "Hey, Bambi," she said, pulling her feet off the table when Kurt sat down.

"Hello Kendra," Kurt said, looking around the classroom. The cream colored walls were covered with rather grim posters proclaiming that some drug or another will kill you in some horrific way."What are we doing here?" he asked, gesturing around the room.

Kendra rolled her eyes, "Class," she said, "Here they teach us about anything… relapse, what drugs do to our bodies, what to do when we get out of here…" she rolled her eyes again. "Pointless if you ask me." She shrugged, "But it's not my choice."

Fantastic. School again. Kurt sighed and said, "So what are we learning today?"

"Life skills," she scoffed, leaning back in her chair with an arm tossed along the back of Kurt's chair.

"Good afternoon!" The woman in the front of the room said brightly. "I'm Veronica Bailey and I'm here to teach you certain life skills for after you complete your treatments." She pulled a stool over to in front of the class and continued, "I have been an addict since I was 15 and sober for 10 years." Kurt was a little impressed… She looked like she was barely 20.

The woman told the class stories of different people, each one of them addicts who had relapsed back to their old habits. The hour was almost up, "The lesson I'm trying to teach all of you is this: avoid temptation. Move to a different part of town; don't go near where you used to buy your drugs. Never talk to the people you did those drugs with… and nine times out of ten, you'll never relapse."

The woman smiled and stacked her papers which Kurt hadn't seen her use once through her little speech and the people around the room began to talk amongst themselves. Kendra turned to Kurt and said, "So what do you think?" She didn't seem all that impressed herself.

Kurt frowned at the woman now sitting at a desk in front of the room talking with a tiny brunette girl in the front row. "I didn't think it was very helpful," he said, looking back to Kendra.

She tilted her head to the side, "Why do you say that?" she asked curiously.

Kurt sighed and looked at the tabletop. "You can't just avoid a problem. That's not the way to recover from anything," he said, frowning. Kendra was nodding along with him, seeming to agree with every word he said.

Then Veronica Bailey was there, standing in front of them with a frown on her face. "The only way to not relapse into that life is to avoid anything having to do with it," she said scowling at them.

"No it's not," Kurt said matter of factly.

That made the woman really angry. "What makes you so sure?" she asked, "You are here after all."

Kurt bit back the bitchy comment. It wouldn't do anyone any good to start a fight. He took a deep breath to calm himself and replied as nicely as he could manage. "If you spend your entire time avoiding something, you won't be prepared for when you can't avoid it anymore." Kendra smiled at Kurt and nodded along with him.

Veronica scoffed, "Like you know anything about it." She scowled at them and turning to out of the room, knocking Sheila aside and storming away.

Kurt turned to Kendra, "What a bitch!" she said, frowning after the woman as Sheila walked into stand beside Kurt's table.

"What made her so upset?" she asked Kurt, looking between the boy and Kendra.

"Kurt called her out on her bull shit," Kendra said, smiling almost proudly at Kurt. Sheila smiled and waved her hand for Kurt to follow her, Kurt smiled as Kendra got up to follow them. Before Kurt could ask where she was going, Kendra walked up beside him and said, "Dinner time, Kurt." She smiled at him and walked down the hall behind Sheila and stopped outside the cafeteria.

Dinner went the same as lunch… Kurt sat at the table, surrounded by people, not listening to a single word that was said, and then it was over.

Kendra tapped him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his trance with a smile. She pointed to Sheila walking towards the table and she pulled Kurt up to meet Sheila half way. "Where are you taking him, Sheila?" she asked.

"The Exercise room," Sheila said, turning to the doors again.

Kendra smiled and said, "Excellent. That's where I'm going too." The group walked in silence up a set of stairs to a higher level and coming to a stop in a large room that smelled like bleach with weights lining a mirrored wall and various types of exercise equipment around the room with people already talking and laughing using the machines.

"This is goodbye, Kurt. I'll see you tomorrow," Sheila said. "Have fun with the rest of the day." Kurt nodded and she left him alone with Kendra.

"Come on Bambi," she said, turning to some stationary bikes along the wall. The new friends sat on the bikes and kept pretty good pace with each other without saying a word.

Kurt liked Kendra. She reminded Kurt of himself a bit. She seemed to know a lot more then she let on somehow, but she didn't push him or try to guilt him into saying anything and the silences that stretched between them weren't uncomfortable in the slightest.

It's like he'd known her for years, and the only thing they needed to do to bond with each other was pedal along leisurely until the hour was over.

Once the big clock that could be seen in the reflection of the mirror read 8:00, Paul walked into the room, which stank of sweat mixed with the bleach, and smiled at Kendra. Kendra must be famous around here.

"Hello, Kendra. Kurt." He nodded to the both of them and tilted his head to the door. Kurt got up and turned, expecting Kendra to follow him.

She looked up and smiled."Not this time, Bambi," she said, stretching. "I've got a new torture to attend to," she joked. "I'll see ya soon, Kurt."

Kurt smiled and nodded and left with Paul. "So Kurt how was your day?" Paul asked, turning to look at him for a second before turning back to walk down the stairs.

Kurt shrugged. "It was interesting." Kurt looked at the small girl who ran past them. "Where are we going?" Kurt asked, looking for a signal as to where they were. Kurt had the feeling that he'd be majorly lost when he didn't have an escort anymore.

"Well, this is generally the hour that the more specific group therapies are held…" Paul hesitated and continued. "But, you're going back to the rec room."

Kurt nodded and frowned, wondering what 'specific group therapy' Kendra was in. It would be rude to ask, so he'd just wait for her to tell him later.

The rest of the walk was in the silence that Kurt had grown accustomed to. Paul left him outside of the rec room and he walked in silently, looking around the room which was lit by the harsh florescent lights in the ceiling.

He looked around and was surprised by the lack of people here. There were only about 6 people as opposed to the nearly 30 people that were here this morning. Kurt guessed they were all in their respective therapies

Kurt hesitated before going to one of the empty couches in front of one of the televisions. It didn't really matter what was on; Kurt wasn't watching it. His mind was far away, thinking about the day, and thinking about what he would be doing if he weren't here.

If he weren't doing the obvious, Kurt would be sitting with Nessie in their corner of the warehouse Lydia had set up for her "dancers". That term she used for them was complete bull shit. They weren't dancers. They were hookers and Lydia knew it. She set it up.

She ran Pulse like a well-oiled machine, giving each 'dancer' their own room in the back behind the door marked "Work Rooms". Each room contained a bed, and a nightstand that had condoms in it. Lydia wouldn't have her dancers pregnant or sick with an STD, so the condoms were, using her words, "Required for the job".

Now that he was completely sober, and only feeling slightly hungover, Kurt almost smiled at the thought of Lydia. It wasn't a good smile.

It was a smile that one got when they realized that they let their whole world fall apart and be rebuilt by another, and was too hurt inside to show anything other than sick amusement.

This smile is what Kurt got when he realized that Lydia was some sort of genius who knew exactly how to pedal flesh and make it seem like it wasn't her intention. She never once told Kurt or anyone else that they should have sex with their customers.

She never once made him do anything besides wait tables. That was what she originally paid him for. Then Nessie was the one who convinced him to dance, and it was her that convinced Kurt to start hooking. She even got his drugs for him in the beginning.

But Kurt couldn't be mad at her.

She saved his life more than once.

"Kurt?" a familiar voice said, making Kurt jump.

Kurt looked up at Paul and said, "It's been an hour already?" He looked around and noticed that the entire room was empty and Paul stood before him, looking at him like he'd been saying Kurt's name a lot before finally getting his attention.

Paul nodded and said, "The day's over. You have two hours until lights out." Kurt stood and winced at the stiffness in his muscles that came from not moving for an hour and followed Paul out of the rec room.

"During this time," Paul said. "Patients are encouraged to visit each other's rooms." They were back in the hall lined with white doors covered in stickers and markers. "I've been asked to leave you in your room and not to tell you why, so," he said with a smile, stopping outside Kurt's blank door "Wait here."

Kurt nodded and walked into his room, too tired to wonder about Paul's behavior. He sat on his bed for a moment, staring at the wall and waited.

After a few moments of silence, there was a light tap on the door he hadn't realized he'd closed. "Come in," he said, smiling when he saw Kendra pop her head into the room.

"Hey Bambi." She smiled and sat down next to Kurt on the bed and said, "How was your free time?"

Kurt smiled and decided to be honest with her. "I thought about before I got here and was lost in thought for the entire hour."

Kendra pursed her lips in understanding and nodded. She took a deep breath and said, "I have a surprise for you, Bambi," she said, pulling the bag Kurt hadn't noticed she'd had and pulled out a black marker and shiny gold foil type paper. "I think it would be fun to decorate your door." She gestured to the pile on the bed, "So I brought supplies."

Kurt gently ran his fingers over the shiny gold paper. "What did you have in mind?" he asked her. She clearly had a thought, but he couldn't think of what it was.

She smiled at him warmly, "I was thinking you should have a gold star." She seemed to sense his hesitation because she spoke again, "Trust me. I know things." She said, pulling a thin piece of cardstock and scissors. "I think you secretly want the star." She smiled at him, but paused, waiting for confirmation.

Kurt thought it over and said, "Ok." Her smile widened. She took the marker and carefully started to draw a star of the white cardstock.

"It'll be my gift to you," she said, smiling at him. She was much happier when it was just them.

Kurt watched her work in silence, suddenly struck with a want to talk. Not like he'd been talking with her. He wanted to talk about what he wouldn't talk about with the doctor.

She spent a few moments drawing the perfect star before holding it up to Kurt. "What do you think?" she asked, looking between Kurt and the paper. "Too big? Too small? Lopsided?" She looked uncertain and Kurt smiled.

"It looks great, Kendra," he whispered, his throat suddenly thick. He looked at the plain bedspread. "Kendra… Can I talk to you?" He whispered, shakily.

Kendra was silent and still for a moment, he could feel her eyes boring into his skin but he wouldn't look up. "You can talk to me about anything, Kurt," she said seriously.

Kurt took a deep breath. Then another. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He lifted his eyes to Kendra's hands carefully cutting out the paper star. "I-" he started. But he couldn't say any more. He looked down at his hands twisting in on themselves in anxiety. "I don't know how to say it," he whispered, with tears in his eyes.

Kendra sat the white star in his lap, causing Kurt to look up at her. The look on her face was intense, but not angry. More like she knew exactly what he was going to say, but even though she knew, he still had to say it. And she wouldn't think any differently of him. "Start from the beginning, Kurt," she whispered, laying her hand over his for a second before taking the star back and beginning to wrap the crinkly gold foil around the star.

For the next hour, Kurt talked. He talked about what happened when he got to New York… Why he hadn't spoken to any of his family or friends in almost 5 years. Why he felt so dirty and unsafe and why he was now here at Hope by the Sea.

She was silent through most of his speech, nodding along and never touching more than his hand when he couldn't continue. She never stopped working on his star.

By the time he was done, Kurt was shaking, his throat hurt from the near none-stop talking and speaking through tears, his eyelids felt too heavy, and, for the first time in almost five years, he could breathe.

Kendra's eyes were watery when she tapped the foil smooth on the front of the gold star. "Let me tell you something, Kurt," she said, uncapping the marker she brought with her. "You're alive for a reason." She didn't look at him as she spoke; she used her knee as a clipboard and carefully began writing on the star. "Trust me when I say this," she said, smiling at the star, "It hurts now. It hurts a lot. But keeping this quiet?" she said, finally making eye contact with Kurt, "Keeping this quiet for so long makes it worse. Keeping this big secret in your soul is _killing_ you."

Kurt's breath hitched. "W-What do you want me to do, Kendra?" He asked, sniffling slightly.

Kendra reached out and grabbed his hand. "He won once, Kurt," she said, holding his slender hand up for both of them to see just under shoulder level, she opened his fingers and held his palm up. She gently placed the gold star in his palm. He could see the carefully written letters on the surface, spelling out his name in painstaking detail, each letter written so carefully it made the star look even more beautiful.

"Don't let him win again."

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><p><strong>Thank you to Miko Akako for betaing this chapter.<strong>

**Also, yay me for two updates in two weeks. This is an accomplishment.**

**So… Please review because reviews and such make my fingers type faster, and I'd like to hear what you think about this so far.**


	18. Chapter 18

5/18/13

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><p><span><strong>Shooting Star<strong>

**Chapter 18**

A gentle knock at the door roused Kurt from his slumber. Opening his eyes, expecting to see bright morning sunlight streaming through the window, he was shocked to see the room bathed in the beautiful silvery light of the moon.

"Come in," he called as whoever it was didn't open the door like they usually did. Harsh light shown into the room when the door opened and a silhouette appeared.

Sitting upright in bed, Kurt stretched his stiff arms above his head, sighing and closing his eyes. "God, you're beautiful," A deep voice said, causing Kurt's eyes to snap open in shock.

"David!" Kurt gasped, "What are you doing here?" he asked in a whisper, he was sure if anyone knew David was here they'd get in trouble.

David quickly slipped into the room, cutting off the light and covering the room in silvery darkness again. "I had to see you," He said, moving to sit on the bed by Kurt's knees.

Kurt's heart skipped a beat at the other man's closeness, he gave a breathy chuckle and said, "And you couldn't wait till visiting hours?" he said, smiling through the flutters in his stomach.

David smiled and gently brushed a lock of hair from Kurt's face. "I don't think what I want to do with you would be tolerated in the main room." Kurt shivered as David's warm fingers brushed his cheek. Slowly, David's words sank into his mind and heat flooded his cheeks.

David's large hand cupped Kurt's cheek and a thumb caressed his lower lip. Kurt's eyes slipped close and he gasped as tingles shot through his body. His thoughts immediately strayed to what those fingers would feel like all over his body.

Kurt shook his head and said, "D-David…" a hand slid from his knee to his hip, brushing his fairly prominent erection making another shudder fly across his skin and a moan escape his lips. "David, you're not supposed to be here," he said, trying to sound convincing as David moved closer, firmly gripping Kurt's waist.

"Then tell me to leave." David said as he leaned closer, deliberately missing Kurt's lips and kissing his jaw, trailing small, gentle kisses down to his neck. Kurt moaned and wrapped his arms around David's neck, tangling his fingers in the larger man's hair and holding him at Kurt's neck, biting and sucking the sensitive skin there, leaving marks on the white skin.

Kurt felt David chuckle under his arms, "That's what I thought," he whispered, his breath cooling the bitten skin and making Kurt shiver again. David pulled back a few inches and stared into Kurt's eyes for a moment, like he was trying to memorize every speck of color in them.

He leaned forward with agonizing slowness and stopped so his lips hovered centimeters above Kurt's, their breath mingling in the small space between them. After a few seconds, David closed the distance between them and gently kissed Kurt's lips.

Kurt's eyes closed again as David deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding along Kurt's lower lip; he opened his mouth and moaned as David began to slowly explore Kurt's mouth. Tentatively, Kurt flicked his tongue and moaned again as they slowly tasted each other.

Before long, the kiss morphed, becoming hungrier and more demanding on either side and David pushed them both back on the bed with Kurt squirming beneath him and the blankets trapped between their bodies.

David's hands trailed down Kurt's sides, causing him to shiver and moan as the hands trailed up under his tee shirt, the strong hands holding his body firmly in place while his thumbs twirled over Kurt's nipples.

Kurt's hands tightened on the strong, broad shoulders above him, his hips bucking up into David's, rubbing their erections together at the wonderful feeling David was causing with his hands. Kurt whined as the hands disappeared and David broke the kiss, pulling the shirt roughly over Kurt's head and tossing it somewhere else.

With one last bruising kiss, David's lips began to move along Kurt's jaw, gently nipping at the skin just behind his ear, making Kurt moan again. He kissed along the pale neck, firmly sucking on the already marked skin, bringing the forming hickies to dark red splotches on Kurt's neck.

Kurt tightened his arms around David's neck as another bite was placed on his collar bone. For half a second, Kurt began to wonder how this happened, but all rational thought escaped him as David's hot, wet mouth began sucking on his nipple. All he could do was moan and writhe beneath the man's expert lips. Kurt felt a familiar warmth growing in his stomach. Kurt tangled his fingers in David's hair and pulled his face up to his, capturing his lips in a kiss and sliding his arms down to undo the buttons on his shirt and push it off the strong shoulders and bringing their bare chest together, moaning in pleasure at the feel of the other mans skin.

David took control of the kiss and reached between them to push the covers out of their way and palm Kurt through his sweatpants. Kurt gasped at the contact, breaking the kiss and bucked up into David's hand.

Then, just as fast as David's hand was there, it was gone again; this time, gently running his fingers along the hem of Kurt's sweat pants, teasing Kurt by inching the material down with an agonizing slowness while Kurt thrashed around, panting. Then, David pulled the unwanted piece of clothing off and pressed his hips against Kurt's so the only material separating them was Kurt's boxers and David's jeans and Kurt could feel David's erection pushing against him.

Wanting more, Kurt quickly pushed David's jeans off and kicked them to the floor, wrapping his legs around David's waist grinding them together, moaning at the feel of David all around him. "More." Kurt gasped out, unsure of how much longer he would last like this.

David didn't need to be told twice. With expert speed, he pulled off both their boxers and pushed a finger inside Kurt. He gasped as the finger crooked, brushing against his muscles and was joined by a second finger. Kurt groaned as the fingers began to scissor apart, stretching him.

David added another finger gently swirling around the nerves inside of Kurt, making him squirm in pleasure. "Now… please..." Kurt gasped as his prostate was touched "I need you…"

David growled and removed his fingers and quickly pushed inside of Kurt. The moonlight faded and everything turned black. The only thing Kurt could feel was David pushing inside him faster and faster. Waves of pleasure washed over him.

His eyes snapped open to the still dark room around him. He groaned and shifted, grimacing at the sticky feeling in his first time in weeks that he's slept without drugs and he had to have _that_ dream.

Kurt hugged his knees to his chest, blushing as he remembered the incredibly vivid dream. He hadn't had a dream like that in years. No need to dream about sex when sex was your job. Why would he dream about doing that with David of all people?

He frowned to the darkness. He didn't feel that way about David… did he?

He couldn't.

Kurt cared about David. Of course he did, David had saved his life. Even if it meant a little bit of pain and suffering for now, it was all for the best. But could it be more than that?

Shaking his head, Kurt quickly got up and pulled his sweat pants off, throwing them at the pile in the corner and winced in slight disgust as he pulled off his dirty boxers and pulled on a new pair of underwear, carefully hiding the dirty piece of clothing under the rest of the clothes.

He pulled on the right color of sweatpants and crawled back under the covers to pretend to sleep until they woke him up.

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><p><strong>Ok so I'm sorry for missing last week's update, I'll try to do better.<strong>

**And thanks for the lovely review, Liam the lemming you made my day :)**

**I hope you liked this chapter, review please and thank you.**


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